ROME: The Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations (FAO) has updated its forecast for global cereal production in 2024, now predicting it will reach 2,854 million tonnes, setting a new all-time…
ROME: The Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations (FAO) has updated its forecast for global cereal production in 2024, now predicting it will reach 2,854 million tonnes, setting a new all-time…
KATHMANDU: A total of 14 people have lost their lives due to disasters triggered by incessant monsoon rains in various parts of the country since Friday night.…
DHARAN: The water level in the Saptakoshi River has continued to rise with incessant rainfall for the past few days, prompting the local administration to open all 56 sluice gates of the Koshi…
KATHMANDU: Governor of Nepal Rastra Bank (NRB), Maha Prasad Adhikari, has clarified that the interest subsidy provided for commercial agricultural loans has not been misused.…
KATHMANDU: Amid rising complaints about cooperatives failing to return depositors' money, the police have concluded that these problematic cooperatives are unlikely to do so.…
KATHMANDU: Power production plants across the country have been affected due to floods triggered by incessant rainfall.…
KATHMANDU: The Flood Forecasting Division under the Department of Hydrology and Meteorology has urged the general public to adopt high security alert, stating that there is a risk of floods in different parts of the country until Sunday (today).…
With only a few days remaining in the current fiscal year, the Madhesh Province government has managed to spend just about one-third of its allocated budget. By end of July (mid-Asar) of the fiscal year 2080/81, the provincial government had expended only 32 percent of its total budget, according to the Ministry of…
KATHMANDU: Shyam Badan Shrestha, who was conferred the Lifetime Achievement in Women Entrepreneurship Award during the NewBiz Business Women Summit and Awards 2024 on Friday, is an established name in the Nepali handicraft industry.…
KATHMANDU: The country is experiencing rainfall due to the influence of monsoon winds today…
DHANGADHI: The website of the Office of the Chief Minister and Council of Ministers in Sudurpaschim Province was hacked on…
KATHMANDU: Mausumi Shrestha of Shree Kishan Innovation Hub has been declared as the 'The Best Woman Entrepreneur' during the NewBiz Business Women Summit and Awards 2024 on Friday.…
Supreme Court Justice Sapana Pradhan Malla said that entrepreneurship would lead to women empowerment and…
KATHMANDU: Stakeholders at the New Business Women Summit and Awards 2024, organized by New Business Age Pvt Ltd, highlighted that women entrepreneurs face more challenges than their male…
Maha Prasad Adhikari, Governor of Nepal Rastra Bank said that Nepal should highlight women entrepreneurs as their entrepreneurship has made the country proud in the international…
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These improvements are expected to offset downgrades in the outlook for Indonesia, Pakistan, and several Southern African countries. The wheat production forecast has also been raised due to better prospects in Asia, notably Pakistan, which should compensate for an expected decline in the Russian Federation caused by inclement weather in major wheat-producing areas earlier in the season.</span></span></span></span></p> <p><span style="font-size:11pt"><span style="font-family:Calibri,"sans-serif""><span style="font-size:12.0pt"><span style="font-family:"Times New Roman","serif"">Global rice production is projected to reach a record 535.1 million tonnes.</span></span></span></span></p> <p><span style="font-size:11pt"><span style="font-family:Calibri,"sans-serif""><span style="font-size:12.0pt"><span style="font-family:"Times New Roman","serif"">World cereal total utilization in 2024/25 is forecast to rise to 2,856 million tonnes, up 0.5 percent from the previous year, driven by increases in rice and coarse grains.</span></span></span></span></p> <p><span style="font-size:11pt"><span style="font-family:Calibri,"sans-serif""><span style="font-size:12.0pt"><span style="font-family:"Times New Roman","serif"">Global cereal stocks are forecast to expand by 1.3 percent in 2025, leaving the global cereal stocks-to-use ratio in 2024/25 nearly unchanged at 30.8 percent.</span></span></span></span></p> <p><span style="font-size:11pt"><span style="font-family:Calibri,"sans-serif""><span style="font-size:12.0pt"><span style="font-family:"Times New Roman","serif"">The FAO's forecast for international trade in total cereals remains unchanged at 481 million tonnes, representing a 3.0 percent decline from 2023/24. – ANI/RSS</span></span></span></span></p> <p> </p> ', 'published' => true, 'created' => '2024-07-07', 'modified' => '2024-07-07', 'keywords' => '', 'description' => '', 'sortorder' => '21185', 'image' => '20240707024016_cereal.jpg', 'article_date' => '2024-07-07 14:39:47', 'homepage' => false, 'breaking_news' => false, 'main_news' => true, 'in_scroller' => null, 'user_id' => '34' ) ), (int) 1 => array( 'Article' => array( 'id' => '21458', 'article_category_id' => '1', 'title' => 'Recent Floods and Landslides Claim 14 Lives', 'sub_title' => '', 'summary' => 'KATHMANDU: A total of 14 people have lost their lives due to disasters triggered by incessant monsoon rains in various parts of the country since Friday night. ', 'content' => '<p><span style="font-size:18px"><span style="font-family:Calibri,"sans-serif""><span style="font-family:"Times New Roman","serif"">KATHMANDU: A total of 14 people have lost their lives due to disasters triggered by incessant monsoon rains in various parts of the country since Friday night. Additionally, three people have gone missing due to landslides, flooding, and inundations. According to Police Spokesperson and Deputy Inspector General of Police, Dan Bahadur Karki, 18 people have been injured in these incidents.</span></span></span></p> <p><span style="font-size:18px"><span style="font-family:Calibri,"sans-serif""><span style="font-family:"Times New Roman","serif"">Of the 14 casualties, one was reported in Kathmandu, three in Syangja, two in Parbat, one in Udayapur, two in Kavrepalanchowk, one in Palpa, three in Tanahu, and one in Dang. </span></span></span></p> <p><span style="font-size:18px"><span style="font-family:Calibri,"sans-serif""><span style="font-family:"Times New Roman","serif"">Manoj BK from Lakhan Thapa rural municipality-6 in Gorkha was killed in a landslide in Nagarjun municipality-3 in Kathmandu. Other fatalities due to landslides include Raj Rai from Rautamai rural municipality-5 in Udayapur, and Jalamaya Rujal Magar and Setimaya Rujal from Roshi rural municipality-11 in Kavrepalanchowk.</span></span></span></p> <p><span style="font-size:18px"><span style="font-family:Calibri,"sans-serif""><span style="font-family:"Times New Roman","serif"">Other casualties from landslides include Hira Nepal, Anisha Bastola, and Shyam Bhandari from Shuklagandaki municipality-7 in Tanahu, and Guweshori Sharma Marasini, Madhav Sharma, and Harimaya Sharma from Biruwa rural municipality-6 in Syangja, according to the police.</span></span></span></p> <p><span style="font-size:18px"><span style="font-family:Calibri,"sans-serif""><span style="font-family:"Times New Roman","serif"">The Police Headquarters in Naxal reported that Jhalak Prasad Sharma and Tulsi Prasad Sharma of Phalebas municipality-1 in Parbat, Rima Saraha Ranamgar of Mathagadhi rural municipality-6 in Palpa, and Maniam Chaudhary of Bagrapur in Lamahi municipality-8 of Dang were also killed in landslides.</span></span></span></p> <p><span style="font-size:18px"><span style="font-family:Calibri,"sans-serif""><span style="font-family:"Times New Roman","serif"">Additionally, Jangmu Sherpa of Dolakha Gaurishankar rural municipality-9, Rajkumar Yadav of Rajpur rural municipality-2 in Dang, and Khem Kumari Mall of Syangja Bhirkot municipality-5 Jyamire are among those who missing in flooding and landslide incidents.</span></span></span></p> <p><span style="font-size:18px"><span style="font-family:Calibri,"sans-serif""><span style="font-family:"Times New Roman","serif"">Police reported that five people have been injured in Tanahu, one in Gulmi, two in Okhaldhunga, three in Kathmandu, one in Chitwan, and six in Syangja.</span></span></span></p> <p><span style="font-size:18px"><span style="font-family:Calibri,"sans-serif""><span style="font-family:"Times New Roman","serif"">The heavy rains have affected life across the country, with water levels rising in major rivers, including Koshi and Narayani. Police continue to patrol and monitor the banks of rivers and streams in Kathmandu Valley. Central Police Spokesperson Karki mentioned that the water level in the rivers within the Valley has increased due to the continuous rainfall.</span></span></span></p> <p><span style="font-size:18px"><span style="font-family:Calibri,"sans-serif""><span style="font-family:"Times New Roman","serif"">Security personnel from all three security agencies have been mobilized in the affected areas and remain on high alert, according to the Police Headquarters. -- RSS</span></span></span></p> <p> </p> ', 'published' => true, 'created' => '2024-07-07', 'modified' => '2024-07-07', 'keywords' => '', 'description' => '', 'sortorder' => '21184', 'image' => '20240707025512_NabinLamichhane_RSS_22_IMG-20240706-WA0008.jpg', 'article_date' => '2024-07-07 14:54:28', 'homepage' => false, 'breaking_news' => false, 'main_news' => true, 'in_scroller' => null, 'user_id' => '34' ) ), (int) 2 => array( 'Article' => array( 'id' => '21459', 'article_category_id' => '1', 'title' => 'All 56 Sluice Gates of Saptakoshi Opened ', 'sub_title' => '', 'summary' => 'DHARAN: The water level in the Saptakoshi River has continued to rise with incessant rainfall for the past few days, prompting the local administration to open all 56 sluice gates of the Koshi barrage. ', 'content' => '<p><span style="font-size:11pt"><span style="font-family:Calibri,"sans-serif""><span style="font-family:"Arial Unicode MS","sans-serif"">DHARAN: The water level in the Saptakoshi River has continued to rise with incessant rainfall for the past few days, prompting the local administration to open all 56 sluice gates of the Koshi barrage. </span><br /> <span style="font-family:"Arial Unicode MS","sans-serif"">According to Chief District Officer of Sunsari, Ramchandra Tiwari, the flow of water in the river has been measured at 368,000 cusecs per hour at the Koshi Barrage. The monitoring of the flow of water from the official level has been continued. Red lights are on to indicate the highest danger level from the river. </span><br /> <span style="font-family:"Arial Unicode MS","sans-serif"">According to the Saptakoshi Water Measurement Center, the flow of water in the river has exceeded the warning levels. The swollen river is likely to gush into some areas in Udayapur and Sunsari. CDO Tiwari has requested the residents living near the Saptakoshi river banks to stay alert and safe. -- RSS </span><br /> </span></span></p> <p> </p> ', 'published' => true, 'created' => '2024-07-07', 'modified' => '2024-07-07', 'keywords' => '', 'description' => '', 'sortorder' => '21183', 'image' => '20240707025826_AKY_Rajbiraj-1720295021148.jpg', 'article_date' => '2024-07-07 14:57:52', 'homepage' => false, 'breaking_news' => false, 'main_news' => true, 'in_scroller' => null, 'user_id' => '34' ) ), (int) 3 => array( 'Article' => array( 'id' => '21456', 'article_category_id' => '1', 'title' => 'Agricultural Loan Subsidies have not been Misused: NRB Governor', 'sub_title' => '', 'summary' => 'KATHMANDU: Governor of Nepal Rastra Bank (NRB), Maha Prasad Adhikari, has clarified that the interest subsidy provided for commercial agricultural loans has not been misused. ', 'content' => '<p><span style="font-size:11pt"><span style="font-family:Calibri,"sans-serif""><span style="font-size:12.0pt"><span style="font-family:"Times New Roman","serif"">KATHMANDU: Governor of Nepal Rastra Bank (NRB), Maha Prasad Adhikari, has clarified that the interest subsidy provided for commercial agricultural loans has not been misused. Speaking at the 23rd anniversary of Sana Kisan Bikas Laghubitta Bittiyasanstha Ltd (SKBBL), the NRB governor stated that an analysis of the subsidies given so far revealed no discrepancy. He mentioned that the process of recovering misused subsidies by a few individuals has already started.</span></span></span></span></p> <p><span style="font-size:11pt"><span style="font-family:Calibri,"sans-serif""><span style="font-size:12.0pt"><span style="font-family:"Times New Roman","serif"">“Misuse of agricultural loan subsidy is a superficial matter. This program has been successful, and the effectiveness of the grant is good. The process of recovering misused subsidies is ongoing,” Adhikari said.</span></span></span></span></p> <p><span style="font-size:11pt"><span style="font-family:Calibri,"sans-serif""><span style="font-size:12.0pt"><span style="font-family:"Times New Roman","serif"">He claimed that the Ministry of Finance, following the government's plan, prepared the procedures for providing interest subsidies to youth in commercial agricultural loans, and the subsidies were distributed accordingly. Adhikari highlighted that 126,000 borrowers have received subsidies for agricultural loans, with most beneficiaries being women and small farmers. However, he clarified that the grants have been halted since September 2022 due to controversies.</span></span></span></span></p> <p><span style="font-size:11pt"><span style="font-family:Calibri,"sans-serif""><span style="font-size:12.0pt"><span style="font-family:"Times New Roman","serif"">Governor Adhikari emphasized the important role of small farmer development microfinance and small farmer cooperatives in entrepreneurship development, job creation, and expanding financial access and literacy. He noted that while problems have emerged in the cooperative sector recently, such issues have not affected small farmer cooperatives. The governor also mentioned that agricultural work, previously looked down upon, is now respected.</span></span></span></span></p> <p><span style="font-size:11pt"><span style="font-family:Calibri,"sans-serif""><span style="font-size:12.0pt"><span style="font-family:"Times New Roman","serif"">Former Governor of NRB, Dipendra Bahadur Chhetri, expressed the view that the subsidies given for agricultural loans had been misused. He argued that political instability has lowered the morale of the private sector, making them reluctant to invest.</span></span></span></span></p> <p><span style="font-size:11pt"><span style="font-family:Calibri,"sans-serif""><span style="font-size:12.0pt"><span style="font-family:"Times New Roman","serif"">Chief Executive Officer of SKBBL, Shivaram Prasad Koirala, highlighted the organization's role in youth entrepreneurship development and expanding inclusive financial access through simple loan provisions. He stated that microfinance loans through small farmer agricultural cooperatives have contributed to domestic production by developing entrepreneurship and creating jobs. Koirala informed that SKBBL's services have reached 550 local levels across the country, benefiting more than 1.1 million families and serving a population of 4.5 million.</span></span></span></span></p> <p><span style="font-size:11pt"><span style="font-family:Calibri,"sans-serif""><span style="font-size:12.0pt"><span style="font-family:"Times New Roman","serif"">Koirala also mentioned that youths sent to Israel to learn agricultural technology have returned to Nepal and engaged in agricultural work. The Council for Technical Education and Vocational Training (CTEVT) provided scholarships to students studying agriculture and veterinary science, and farmers participated in various activities, including observation visits to different countries like India.</span></span></span></span></p> <p><span style="font-size:11pt"><span style="font-family:Calibri,"sans-serif""><span style="font-size:12.0pt"><span style="font-family:"Times New Roman","serif"">Additionally, Koirala stated that SKBBL took a loan from the Asian Development Bank to operate the Rural Enterprise Financing Project (REFP). He claimed that SKBBL has effectively provided simple and easy loans to small farmers, poor and backward communities, women, and marginalized groups.</span></span></span></span></p> <p> </p> ', 'published' => true, 'created' => '2024-07-07', 'modified' => '2024-07-07', 'keywords' => '', 'description' => '', 'sortorder' => '21182', 'image' => '20240707011950_20230815040326_agri maize.jpg', 'article_date' => '2024-07-07 13:18:59', 'homepage' => false, 'breaking_news' => false, 'main_news' => true, 'in_scroller' => null, 'user_id' => '34' ) ), (int) 4 => array( 'Article' => array( 'id' => '21454', 'article_category_id' => '1', 'title' => 'Problematic Cooperatives Unlikely to Return Depositors' Money: Police', 'sub_title' => '', 'summary' => 'KATHMANDU: Amid rising complaints about cooperatives failing to return depositors' money, the police have concluded that these problematic cooperatives are unlikely to do so. ', 'content' => '<p><span style="font-size:18px"><span style="font-family:"Times New Roman","serif"">KATHMANDU: Amid rising complaints about cooperatives failing to return depositors' money, the police have concluded that these problematic cooperatives are unlikely to do so. The police noted that weaknesses in cooperative registration, poor record management, and insufficient monitoring have contributed to the problem. Police officials emphasized that police investigation alone cannot resolve the issues in the cooperative sector or ensure the return of depositors' money. High-ranking police officers suggested that the government needs to adopt different strategies to solve these issues and return the deposits of the general public.</span></span></p> <p><span style="font-size:18px"><span style="font-family:"Times New Roman","serif"">Home Ministry Secretary Ek Narayan Aryal, Inspector General of Police Basanta Bahadur Kunwar, Central Investigation Department (CIB) Chief Shyamlal Gyawali, and Crime Investigation Department Chief Tek Bahadur Tamang made these remarks during a discussion organized by the Parliamentary Special Committee, formed to investigate the misappropriation of savings by cooperatives, on Friday.</span></span></p> <p><span style="font-size:18px"><span style="font-family:Calibri,"sans-serif""><span style="font-family:"Times New Roman","serif"">Inspector General of Police Kunwar informed the committee that the likelihood of recovering savings from the problematic cooperatives is very low.</span></span></span></p> <p><span style="font-size:18px"><span style="font-family:Calibri,"sans-serif""><span style="font-family:"Times New Roman","serif"">"Due to the failure of regulatory bodies to effectively oversee the cooperative sector, deposits have been embezzled and misused since registration," he said. </span></span></span></p> <p><span style="font-size:18px"><span style="font-family:Calibri,"sans-serif""><span style="font-family:"Times New Roman","serif"">According to the police, 55,410 victims have filed 5,300 complaints about not receiving their money back from cooperatives. Out of these, 98 complaints have led to investigations and registered cases, claiming a total of Rs 11.66 billion, the police officials informed the parliamentary committee. The police have arrested 294 out of 1,150 defendants, while 856 are still absconding. </span></span></span></p> <p><span style="font-size:18px"><span style="font-family:Calibri,"sans-serif""><span style="font-family:"Times New Roman","serif"">In the committee meeting, Inspector General Kunwar explained that directors of cooperatives took loans by mortgaging property acquired from savers in the bank. When the bank auctioned these properties at low prices, it put the cooperatives’ savings at risk. He also suggested forming a separate Financial Crime Control Bureau, noting that the police lack skilled manpower to investigate financial crimes. </span></span></span></p> <p><span style="font-size:18px"><span style="font-family:Calibri,"sans-serif""><span style="font-family:"Times New Roman","serif"">About a decade ago, a commission of inquiry headed by Gauri Bahadur Karki recommended forming a commission to return depositors’ money. The commission suggested study of troubled cooperatives, property search, and auction. Following the Karki Commission's suggestion, the Cooperatives Act of 2074 established a problematic cooperative management committee to investigate the assets of troubled cooperatives and settle their liabilities. </span></span></span></p> <p><span style="font-size:18px"><span style="font-family:Calibri,"sans-serif""><span style="font-family:"Times New Roman","serif"">On January 13, 2018, the Federal Government formed the 'Problematic Cooperative Management Committee.' Over six years, the committee has seen four chairpersons replaced and has been tasked with resolving 21 problematic institutions, but none have been fully resolved. Nine cooperatives are under separate police investigations. </span></span></span></p> <p><span style="font-size:18px"><span style="font-family:Calibri,"sans-serif""><span style="font-family:"Times New Roman","serif"">To address the problems of cooperatives, the government formed a task force headed by a member of the National Planning Commission last year. The task force, coordinated by Jayakant Raut, recommended that cooperatives engaging in large transactions should be monitored by the central bank. The report submitted to Prime Minister Pushpa Kamal Dahal last September also suggested forming a second-tier regulatory body for monitoring cooperatives and classifying them based on problems. It also recommended establishing a credit information center, and a debt recovery tribunal. However, these recommendations have not been implemented.</span></span></span></p> <p><span style="font-size:18px"><span style="font-family:Calibri,"sans-serif""><span style="font-family:"Times New Roman","serif"">Recently, Swarnalakshmi Cooperative and various other cooperatives were involved in the Gorkha media network scandal, implicating Deputy Prime Minister and Home Minister Ravi Lamichhane. Consequently, a parliamentary inquiry committee was formed to investigate 29 cooperatives, including 20 identified as problematic. Surya Thapa, chairman of the committee, stated that the cooperative issue is linked to the entire financial system and the banking sector and therefore the committee will discuss the matter with stakeholders.</span></span></span></p> <p> </p> ', 'published' => true, 'created' => '2024-07-07', 'modified' => '2024-07-07', 'keywords' => '', 'description' => '', 'sortorder' => '21181', 'image' => '20240707115721_cooperative-new.jpg', 'article_date' => '2024-07-07 11:56:35', 'homepage' => false, 'breaking_news' => false, 'main_news' => true, 'in_scroller' => null, 'user_id' => '34' ) ), (int) 5 => array( 'Article' => array( 'id' => '21453', 'article_category_id' => '1', 'title' => 'Floods Affect Electricity Generation', 'sub_title' => '', 'summary' => 'KATHMANDU: Power production plants across the country have been affected due to floods triggered by incessant rainfall. ', 'content' => '<p><span style="font-size:18px"><span style="font-family:Calibri,"sans-serif""><span style="font-family:"Arial Unicode MS","sans-serif"">KATHMANDU: Power production plants across the country have been affected due to floods triggered by incessant rainfall. As a result, power supply has been interrupted in some places. </span><br /> <span style="font-family:"Arial Unicode MS","sans-serif"">According to the Nepal Electricity Authority (NEA), power plants that produce about 640 megawatts of electricity have been shut down due to floods. </span><br /> <span style="font-family:"Arial Unicode MS","sans-serif"">Upper Tamakoshi, operated by Upper Tamakoshi Hydropower Limited, a subsidiary company of the NEA, with a capacity of 456 megawatts, has been closed since Friday evening due to flooding. </span><br /> <span style="font-family:"Arial Unicode MS","sans-serif"">Similarly, Sunkoshi Hydropower Project of 60 MW capacity and 10 MW capacity Upper Trishuli 'A' have also been closed. </span><br /> <span style="font-family:"Arial Unicode MS","sans-serif"">According to the information provided by the NEA load dispatch center, Balefi with a capacity of 36 MW, Lower Modi with a capacity of 20 MW, middle Modi with a capacity of 18 MW, and Upper Chamelia with a capacity of 40 MW have also been closed due to floods. </span><br /> <span style="font-family:"Arial Unicode MS","sans-serif"">Furthermore, some projects are running at low capacity. -- RSS</span></span></span></p> <p> </p> ', 'published' => true, 'created' => '2024-07-07', 'modified' => '2024-07-07', 'keywords' => '', 'description' => '', 'sortorder' => '21180', 'image' => '20240707105522_hydro.jpg', 'article_date' => '2024-07-07 10:54:41', 'homepage' => false, 'breaking_news' => false, 'main_news' => true, 'in_scroller' => null, 'user_id' => '34' ) ), (int) 6 => array( 'Article' => array( 'id' => '21455', 'article_category_id' => '1', 'title' => 'Flood Risks High till Today, Citizens Urged to Adopt Precautions ', 'sub_title' => '', 'summary' => 'KATHMANDU: The Flood Forecasting Division under the Department of Hydrology and Meteorology has urged the general public to adopt high security alert, stating that there is a risk of floods in different parts of the country until Sunday (today). ', 'content' => '<p><span style="font-size:18px"><span style="font-family:"Times New Roman","serif"">KATHMANDU: The Flood Forecasting Division under the Department of Hydrology and Meteorology has urged the general public to adopt high security alert, stating that there is a risk of floods in different parts of the country until Sunday (today). Due to the possibility of heavy rainfall, water levels in rivers may increase, causing a risk of flooding. </span></span></p> <p><span style="font-size:18px"><span style="font-family:"Times New Roman","serif"">The department's flood expert and hydrologist, Engineer Bijay Dhukuchu, reported that most of the small rivers flowing through Ilam, Jhapa, Morang, Lamjung, Kaski, Palpa, Nawalparasi East, and adjoining districts rose on Saturday. According to him, the flow of small rivers in Udayapur, Sindhuli, Makawanpur, Chitwan, Sindhupalchowk, Ramechhap, Achham, Doti, Kailali, and adjoining districts also increased on Saturday. </span></span></p> <p><span style="font-size:18px"><span style="font-family:"Times New Roman","serif"">"Most of the small rivers across the country are likely to see an increase in their flow on Sunday, and some small rivers in Gandaki, Lumbini, Karnali, and Sudurpaschim provinces may face flash floods," he warned.</span></span></p> <p><span style="font-size:18px"><span style="font-family:"Times New Roman","serif"">The division noted that the weather remained generally to fully cloudy throughout the country on Saturday, with light to moderate rain accompanied by thunder and lightning in many places. Heavy rainfall occurred in a few locations within Koshi, Madhes, Gandaki, Lumbini, and Sudurpaschim provinces, and in one or two places in the remaining provinces.</span></span></p> <p><span style="font-size:18px"><span style="font-family:"Times New Roman","serif"">The division urged the general public to take necessary precautions to avoid the possible risks of disasters such as landslides, floods, and soil erosion in areas prone to heavy rainfall. </span></span></p> <p><span style="font-size:18px"><span style="font-family:"Times New Roman","serif"">“These conditions may partially affect daily life, agriculture, health, tourism, mountaineering, road, and air transport in those areas," the department said in a statement.</span></span></p> <p> </p> ', 'published' => true, 'created' => '2024-07-07', 'modified' => '2024-07-07', 'keywords' => '', 'description' => '', 'sortorder' => '21179', 'image' => '20240707124644_450068615_895863605898971_6927651837151219684_n.jpg', 'article_date' => '2024-07-07 12:45:59', 'homepage' => false, 'breaking_news' => false, 'main_news' => true, 'in_scroller' => null, 'user_id' => '34' ) ), (int) 7 => array( 'Article' => array( 'id' => '21452', 'article_category_id' => '1', 'title' => 'Madhesh Province Spends Only 32% of Budget in Current Fiscal Year', 'sub_title' => '', 'summary' => 'With only a few days remaining in the current fiscal year, the Madhesh Province government has managed to spend just about one-third of its allocated budget. By end of July (mid-Asar) of the fiscal year 2080/81, the provincial government had expended only 32 percent of its total budget, according to the Ministry of Finance.', 'content' => '<p><span style="font-size:20px"><span style="font-family:Calibri,"sans-serif"">July 7: With only a few days remaining in the current fiscal year, the Madhesh Province government has managed to spend just about one-third of its allocated budget. </span></span><span style="font-size:20px"><span style="font-family:Calibri,"sans-serif"">By end of July (mid-Asar) of the fiscal year 2080/81, the provincial government had expended only 32 percent of its total budget, according to the Ministry of Finance.</span></span></p> <p><span style="font-size:20px"><span style="font-family:Calibri,"sans-serif"">The Provincial Treasury Controller Office, Madhesh, reported that out of the total budget of Rs 44.11 billion, only Rs 14.14 billion had been spent by mid-Asar. </span></span><span style="font-size:20px"><span style="font-family:Calibri,"sans-serif"">Of the Rs 18.54 billion allocated for current expenditures, only 35.55 percent has been utilized. Similarly, out of the Rs 25.57 billion allocated for capital expenditures, only 29.55 percent has been spent.</span></span></p> <p><span style="font-size:20px"><span style="font-family:Calibri,"sans-serif"">Chief Minister and other ministers have criticized the federal government for not allocating the budget proportionately to the population in Madhesh. However, the provincial government itself has failed to spend even half of its allocated budget. </span></span></p> <p><span style="font-size:20px"><span style="font-family:Calibri,"sans-serif"">Ajay Kumar Karn, Acting Secretary of the Ministry of Finance of Madhesh Province, attributed the under-expenditure to factors such as changes in coalition partners at the federal level, the necessity for the Chief Minister to seek votes of confidence repeatedly, and overall government instability.</span></span></p> <p><span style="font-size:20px"><span style="font-family:Calibri,"sans-serif"">In the previous fiscal year 2079/80, the province had a budget of Rs 47.02 billion, out of which Rs 27.33 billion was spent. In the fiscal year 2078/79, half of the budget was frozen, with only Rs 17.76 billion spent out of a budget of Rs 34.88 billion.</span></span></p> <p> </p> ', 'published' => true, 'created' => '2024-07-07', 'modified' => '2024-07-07', 'keywords' => '', 'description' => '', 'sortorder' => '21178', 'image' => '20240707063009_collage (58).jpg', 'article_date' => '2024-07-07 06:28:22', 'homepage' => false, 'breaking_news' => false, 'main_news' => true, 'in_scroller' => null, 'user_id' => '42' ) ), (int) 8 => array( 'Article' => array( 'id' => '21449', 'article_category_id' => '1', 'title' => 'Shyam Badan Shrestha Conferred Lifetime Achievement in Women Entrepreneurship Award', 'sub_title' => '', 'summary' => 'KATHMANDU: Shyam Badan Shrestha, who was conferred the Lifetime Achievement in Women Entrepreneurship Award during the NewBiz Business Women Summit and Awards 2024 on Friday, is an established name in the Nepali handicraft industry. ', 'content' => '<p><span style="font-size:18px"><span style="font-family:"Times New Roman","serif"">KATHMANDU: Shyam Badan Shrestha, who was conferred the Lifetime Achievement in Women Entrepreneurship Award during the NewBiz Business Women Summit and Awards 2024 on Friday, is an established name in the Nepali handicraft industry. She started handicraft production with her mother at the age of eight.</span></span></p> <p><span style="font-size:18px"><span style="font-family:"Times New Roman","serif"">Having lost her father before she was born, Shrestha learned to fight from an early age. Despite having no money to install electricity in their home, she would wake up at 2 am to make various handicraft products with her mother using oil lamps. This perseverance allowed her to pay for her schooling expenses. She used her experiences of struggle as a springboard to success, eventually completing her master's degree in Nepali Language and Literature from Tribhuvan University.</span></span></p> <p><span style="font-size:18px"><span style="font-family:"Times New Roman","serif"">After spending 13 years in the teaching profession, Shrestha founded Nepal Knotcraft Center with an investment of Rs 200 around 40 years ago, intending to financially empower other women like her. The awards citation handed to her during the ceremony described her as a beacon of perseverance, resilience, and innovation, inspiring generations of women entrepreneurs.</span></span></p> <p><span style="font-size:18px"><span style="font-family:"Times New Roman","serif"">Shrestha has given hope to many, showing that even a business with a small investment can bring future success. Her business, which now employs 300 women, has an annual turnover of up to Rs 10 million.</span></span></p> <p><span style="font-size:18px"><span style="font-family:"Times New Roman","serif"">In the early days of her entrepreneurship, she produced handicrafts from raw materials found in the Kathmandu Valley. Later, she visited about 65 districts to research indigenous raw materials in Nepal. She identified 45 types of fibrous plants, including allo, cardamom, corn husk, bamboo, straw, cane, and nigalo which could be used for producing handicraft products.</span></span></p> <p><span style="font-size:18px"><span style="font-family:"Times New Roman","serif"">Shrestha won the World Craft Council Award of Excellence for Handicraft in 2018 for producing handicraft materials made from fibrous plants. In the same year, she also won first prize in the SAARC Women Entrepreneurship Competition.</span></span></p> <p><span style="font-size:18px"><span style="font-family:"Times New Roman","serif"">The goods produced by her industry, located in the Patan industrial area, are currently being exported to Europe, America, Japan, and other countries, and are also sold in the domestic market. She emphasizes the use of Nepali raw materials to protect endangered Nepali handicrafts.</span></span></p> <p> </p> ', 'published' => true, 'created' => '2024-07-06', 'modified' => '2024-07-06', 'keywords' => '', 'description' => '', 'sortorder' => '21177', 'image' => '20240706105511_449069362_8664980046852504_8808563333510855685_n.jpg', 'article_date' => '2024-07-06 10:53:29', 'homepage' => false, 'breaking_news' => false, 'main_news' => true, 'in_scroller' => null, 'user_id' => '34' ) ), (int) 9 => array( 'Article' => array( 'id' => '21450', 'article_category_id' => '1', 'title' => 'Rainfall Taking Place All Over the Country ', 'sub_title' => '', 'summary' => 'KATHMANDU: The country is experiencing rainfall due to the influence of monsoon winds today (Saturday).', 'content' => '<p><span style="font-size:11pt"><span style="font-family:Calibri,"sans-serif""><span style="font-family:"Arial Unicode MS","sans-serif"">KATHMANDU: The country is experiencing rainfall due to the influence of monsoon winds today (Saturday). Most of the places in Bagmati, Gandaki and Lumbini provinces are receiving light to moderate rain, while rainfall is taking place in some places of the rest of the country. </span><br /> <span style="font-family:"Arial Unicode MS","sans-serif"">According to the Department of Hydrology and Meteorology, there will be light to moderate rain in many places of all the provinces on Saturday afternoon, with possibility of heavy rain at a few places in Bagmati, Gandaki and Lumbini provinces. </span><br /> <span style="font-family:"Arial Unicode MS","sans-serif"">Later tonight, the weather will be generally to completely cloudy across the country, with a possibility of light to moderate rain with thunder and lightning at some places in Koshi and Madhesh provinces and many places in the remaining provinces. </span></span></span></p> <p><span style="font-size:11pt"><span style="font-family:Calibri,"sans-serif""><span style="font-family:"Arial Unicode MS","sans-serif"">Heavy rain is likely in few places of Koshi, Bagmati, Gandaki, Lumbini, Karnali and Sudurpaschim provinces and one or two places of Madhesh province. -- RSS </span></span></span></p> <p> </p> ', 'published' => true, 'created' => '2024-07-06', 'modified' => '2024-07-06', 'keywords' => '', 'description' => '', 'sortorder' => '21176', 'image' => '20240706111626_20230904111644_rain (1).jpeg', 'article_date' => '2024-07-06 11:15:27', 'homepage' => false, 'breaking_news' => false, 'main_news' => true, 'in_scroller' => null, 'user_id' => '34' ) ), (int) 10 => array( 'Article' => array( 'id' => '21451', 'article_category_id' => '1', 'title' => 'Website of Chief Minister's Office Hacked ', 'sub_title' => '', 'summary' => 'DHANGADHI: The website of the Office of the Chief Minister and Council of Ministers in Sudurpaschim Province was hacked on Friday. ', 'content' => '<p><span style="font-size:18px"><span style="font-family:Calibri,"sans-serif""><span style="font-family:"Arial Unicode MS","sans-serif"">DHANGADHI: The website of the Office of the Chief Minister and Council of Ministers in Sudurpaschim Province was hacked on Friday. </span><br /> <span style="font-family:"Arial Unicode MS","sans-serif"">Information Officer at the Office, Jagadish Prasad Joshi, shared that they informed the Department of Information Technology, Kathmandu, soon after learning that the website was hacked. Efforts were on to recover the site. </span><br /> <span style="font-family:"Arial Unicode MS","sans-serif"">While opening the website, it read the portal was hacked by Cookies called Captain Smoker 3R, he added. The office portal has not been restored as of Saturday morning. -- RSS</span></span></span></p> <p> </p> ', 'published' => true, 'created' => '2024-07-06', 'modified' => '2024-07-06', 'keywords' => '', 'description' => '', 'sortorder' => '21175', 'image' => '20240706112024_20190412060905_3.jpg', 'article_date' => '2024-07-06 11:19:39', 'homepage' => false, 'breaking_news' => false, 'main_news' => true, 'in_scroller' => null, 'user_id' => '34' ) ), (int) 11 => array( 'Article' => array( 'id' => '21448', 'article_category_id' => '1', 'title' => 'NewBiz Business Women Summit and Awards 2024 Concludes', 'sub_title' => '', 'summary' => 'KATHMANDU: Mausumi Shrestha of Shree Kishan Innovation Hub has been declared as the 'The Best Woman Entrepreneur' during the NewBiz Business Women Summit and Awards 2024 on Friday. ', 'content' => '<p><span style="font-size:18px"><span style="font-family:"Times New Roman","serif""><span style="font-family:"Calibri","sans-serif"">KATHMANDU: The NewBiz Business Women Summit and Awards 2024 concluded on Friday, honouring 12 women entrepreneurs in recognition of their contributions to the development of entrepteneurship.</span></span></span></p> <p><span style="font-size:18px"><span style="font-family:"Times New Roman","serif""><span style="font-family:"Calibri","sans-serif"">Mausumi Shrestha of Shree Kishan Innovation Hub was declared as the 'The Best Woman Entrepreneur' during the awards ceremony held in the capital on Friday. She was awarded for her contribution in establishing the Shreenagar Agro Group which helps farmers produce crop with modern technology.</span></span></span></p> <p><span style="font-size:18px"><span style="font-family:"Times New Roman","serif""><span style="font-family:"Calibri","sans-serif"">The Lifetime Achievement Award in Women Entrepreneurship was conferred to Shyam Badan Shrestha of Nepal Knotcraft Centre Pvt Ltd for her immense contribution to the field of entrepreneurship.</span></span></span></p> <p><span style="font-size:18px"><span style="font-family:"Times New Roman","serif""><span style="font-family:"Calibri","sans-serif"">Other winners include Rita Pokharel, Director of InDrive, who received the award in the 'Professional Woman of Excellence' category.</span></span></span></p> <p><span style="font-size:18px"><span style="font-family:"Times New Roman","serif""><span style="font-family:"Calibri","sans-serif"">Similarly, Vedika Murarka, co-founder of Educase, won the 'Pioneer Social Entrepreneur of the Year' award, and Sonika Manandhar, co-founder of Aloi, received the 'Women in Tech' award.</span></span></span></p> <p><span style="font-size:18px"><span style="font-family:"Times New Roman","serif""><span style="font-family:"Calibri","sans-serif"">Additionally, in the 'Emerging Enterprising Woman of the Year' category, one recipient from each of the seven provinces was honored with an award and cash Rs 51,000 each. The 'Emerging Enterprising Woman of the Year' award recipients include Maya Gurung of the sandalwood industry in Taplejung, Koshi Province; Sunaina Thakur of Sunaina Artski in Dhanusha, Madhesh Province; Sapna Sapkota of Bella Kasa in Bagmati Province; Geeta Nath of Karnali Garment Industry in Kaski, Gandaki Province; Geeta Kumari Koiri Maurya of Banke Poultry Farm in Banke, Lumbini Province; Bhumisara Tomta of Shramjivi Masala Udyog in Surkhet, Karnali Province; and Savitri Ojha of Green Mountain Agricultural Development Firm in Dadeldhura, Sudurpaschim Province</span></span></span></p> <p><span style="font-size:18px"><span style="font-family:"Times New Roman","serif""><span style="font-family:"Calibri","sans-serif"">New Business Age has been organising this annual event since 2021 to encourage women entrepreneurs and recognize their contributions.</span></span></span></p> <p><span style="font-size:18px"><span style="font-family:"Times New Roman","serif""><span style="font-family:"Calibri","sans-serif"">An independent jury had selected the best women entrepreneurs across various categories for the awards. </span></span></span></p> <p><span style="font-size:18px"><span style="font-family:"Times New Roman","serif""><span style="font-family:"Calibri","sans-serif"">Nepal Rastra Bank’s Governor Maha Prasad Adhikari was the chief guest for the first half of the awards ceremony while Supreme Court Justice Sapana Pradhan Malla was the chief guest for the second half.</span></span></span></p> <p><span style="font-size:18px"><span style="font-family:"Times New Roman","serif""><span style="font-family:"Calibri","sans-serif"">New Business Age has been organizing this award since 2021 to encourage women entrepreneurs and recognize their contributions to society.</span></span></span></p> <p> </p> <p> </p> ', 'published' => true, 'created' => '2024-07-05', 'modified' => '2024-07-06', 'keywords' => '', 'description' => '', 'sortorder' => '21174', 'image' => '20240705073909_449375706_820201803149924_8755746597775457538_n.jpg', 'article_date' => '2024-07-05 19:38:36', 'homepage' => false, 'breaking_news' => false, 'main_news' => true, 'in_scroller' => false, 'user_id' => '34' ) ), (int) 12 => array( 'Article' => array( 'id' => '21447', 'article_category_id' => '1', 'title' => 'Entrepreneurship Leads to Women Empowerment: Justice Malla', 'sub_title' => '', 'summary' => 'Supreme Court Justice Sapana Pradhan Malla said that entrepreneurship would lead to women empowerment and independence.', 'content' => '<p><span style="font-size:20px"><span style="font-family:"Times New Roman","serif"">July 5: Supreme Court Justice Sapana Pradhan Malla said that entrepreneurship would lead to women empowerment and independence. </span></span></p> <p><span style="font-size:20px"><span style="font-family:"Times New Roman","serif"">Addressing NEWBIZ Business Women Summit and Awards 2024 in Kathmandu, Justice Malla thanked NBA for initiating the award ceremony. “I am deeply inspired by all women entrepreneurs hounoured today. The winners not only represent themselves but also women across the entire country. They have shown that women can achieve remarkable feats,” she added. </span></span></p> <p><span style="font-size:20px"><span style="font-family:"Times New Roman","serif"">Sharing how Pakistani people were amazed by Nepali women driving the tempos, Malla added that women have held the important positions such as President Chief Justice and other important posts in the country. </span></span></p> <p><span style="font-size:20px"><span style="font-family:"Times New Roman","serif"">Malla recalled her advocacy for women’s empowerment through the women’s ownership into property. “Women now own 37% of the land, with laws and regulations offering discounts on property tax,” she said. </span></span></p> <p><span style="font-size:20px"><span style="font-family:"Times New Roman","serif"">Malla said that despite various women friendly laws they have not come into implementation due to unawareness of the regulations. </span></span></p> <p><span style="font-size:20px"><span style="font-family:"Times New Roman","serif"">Malla, however, said that traditional mindset, feelings of inferiority, and the confinement to domestic roles are still posing challenges to the women. </span></span><span style="font-size:20px"><span style="font-family:"Times New Roman","serif"">She urged the women to participate in non-stereotypical entrepreneurship. She also stressed that awards would give recognition and validation to their works.</span></span></p> <p> </p> ', 'published' => true, 'created' => '2024-07-05', 'modified' => '2024-07-05', 'keywords' => '', 'description' => '', 'sortorder' => '21173', 'image' => '20240705071047_collage (57).jpg', 'article_date' => '2024-07-05 19:08:57', 'homepage' => false, 'breaking_news' => false, 'main_news' => true, 'in_scroller' => null, 'user_id' => '42' ) ), (int) 13 => array( 'Article' => array( 'id' => '21446', 'article_category_id' => '1', 'title' => 'Women Entrepreneurs Face More Challenges than Men: Stakeholders', 'sub_title' => '', 'summary' => 'KATHMANDU: Stakeholders at the New Business Women Summit and Awards 2024, organized by New Business Age Pvt Ltd, highlighted that women entrepreneurs face more challenges than their male counterparts.', 'content' => '<p><span style="font-size:11pt"><span style="font-family:Calibri,"sans-serif""><strong><span style="font-size:12.0pt"><span style="font-family:"Times New Roman","serif"">KATHMANDU:</span></span></strong><span style="font-size:12.0pt"><span style="font-family:"Times New Roman","serif""> Stakeholders at the New Business Women Summit and Awards 2024, organized by New Business Age Pvt Ltd, highlighted that women entrepreneurs face more challenges than their male counterparts.</span></span></span></span></p> <p><span style="font-size:11pt"><span style="font-family:Calibri,"sans-serif""><span style="font-size:12.0pt"><span style="font-family:"Times New Roman","serif"">During the event, Padmakshi Rana, Executive Director of Impact Hub Kathmandu and a speaker in the panel discussion on 'Strengthening Women's Business Leadership,' pointed out that women face significant hurdles, especially in gaining financial access. </span></span></span></span></p> <p><span style="font-size:11pt"><span style="font-family:Calibri,"sans-serif""><span style="font-size:12.0pt"><span style="font-family:"Times New Roman","serif"">"The biggest problem women entrepreneurs face is financial access," she said. "Challenges begin right from the creation of a business plan." Rana also mentioned generational and gender-related issues, such as difficulties with documentation, registration, and communication.</span></span></span></span></p> <p><span style="font-size:11pt"><span style="font-family:Calibri,"sans-serif""><span style="font-size:12.0pt"><span style="font-family:"Times New Roman","serif"">Swastika Shrestha, CEO of Teach for Nepal, shared insights from her 12 years of experience in the education sector. She noted that there has been no significant improvement in SLC results over the years, with around 60 percent of students failing in the past and 80 percent of students still attending public schools, a large number of whom are girls.</span></span></span></span></p> <p><span style="font-size:11pt"><span style="font-family:Calibri,"sans-serif""><span style="font-size:12.0pt"><span style="font-family:"Times New Roman","serif"">"In our society, sons receive institutional education while daughters are given formal education," Shrestha said. "This disparity lowers the morale of girls in public schools, affecting their personality and leadership development, and limiting their potential to become entrepreneurs or leaders." She emphasized the need for educational reforms and improved family financial conditions to support women's entrepreneurial efforts.</span></span></span></span></p> <p><span style="font-size:11pt"><span style="font-family:Calibri,"sans-serif""><span style="font-size:12.0pt"><span style="font-family:"Times New Roman","serif"">Mahesh Bhattarai, Joint Secretary and Chief of the Economic Management Division of the National Planning Commission, stated that Nepal's constitution provides a foundation for women's empowerment by ensuring equality and special rights. He noted that Nepal's periodic plans contribute to women's capacity development and empowerment.</span></span></span></span></p> <p><span style="font-size:11pt"><span style="font-family:Calibri,"sans-serif""><span style="font-size:12.0pt"><span style="font-family:"Times New Roman","serif""> "We must work together to advance women's capacity development and empowerment," Bhattarai said. He highlighted ongoing preparations for the implementation of the 16th Plan, focusing on prioritizing women's issues across all development sectors. Bhattarai also mentioned the government's efforts in providing tax concessions, budget allocations, and business facilitation, emphasizing the need for these initiatives to be implemented effectively.</span></span></span></span></p> <p><span style="font-size:11pt"><span style="font-family:Calibri,"sans-serif""><span style="font-size:12.0pt"><span style="font-family:"Times New Roman","serif"">Samanata Thapa, Co-founder and Program Head of Startup Discovery Asia, facilitated the panel discussion.</span></span></span></span></p> <p><span style="font-size:11pt"><span style="font-family:Calibri,"sans-serif""><span style="font-size:12.0pt"><span style="font-family:"Times New Roman","serif"">The New Business Women Summit and Awards 2024 brought together stakeholders to discuss and address the unique challenges faced by women entrepreneurs, emphasizing the importance of collective efforts in fostering an inclusive and supportive entrepreneurial environment.</span></span></span></span></p> <p> </p> ', 'published' => true, 'created' => '2024-07-05', 'modified' => '2024-07-05', 'keywords' => '', 'description' => '', 'sortorder' => '21172', 'image' => '20240705064438_22101dbe.jpeg', 'article_date' => '2024-07-05 18:44:19', 'homepage' => false, 'breaking_news' => false, 'main_news' => true, 'in_scroller' => null, 'user_id' => '34' ) ), (int) 14 => array( 'Article' => array( 'id' => '21445', 'article_category_id' => '1', 'title' => 'Women Entrepreneurs Have Made Country Proud, Says NRB Governor', 'sub_title' => '', 'summary' => 'Maha Prasad Adhikari, Governor of Nepal Rastra Bank said that Nepal should highlight women entrepreneurs as their entrepreneurship has made the country proud in the international community. ', 'content' => '<p><span style="font-size:20px">July 5: Maha Prasad Adhikari, Governor of Nepal Rastra Bank said that Nepal should highlight women entrepreneurs as their entrepreneurship has made the country proud in the international community. </span></p> <p><span style="font-size:20px">Speaking at the NEWBIZ Business Women Summit and Awards 2024, Governor Adhikari expressed his gratitude and congratulations for organizing programs focused on women's empowerment and entrepreneurship. </span></p> <p><span style="font-size:20px">Adhikari highlighted significant improvements in the gender gap, noting a 6% increase in women's inclusion in banking, according to the latest NRB report.</span></p> <p><span style="font-size:20px">Adhikari revealed that 126,000 people have taken concessional loans from banks, with 75,000 of them being women, who have collectively borrowed Rs 43 billion. </span></p> <p><span style="font-size:20px">He urged bankers to support women entrepreneurs. "If any woman is interested in starting a business, do support them making the access to loan easy and simple," he emphasized.</span></p> <p><span style="font-size:20px">The Governor also addressed concerns regarding the misuse of concessional loans provided to women entrepreneurs. He stressed that as long as the loans achieve their intended objectives, their use should not be misinterpreted. </span></p> <p><span style="font-size:20px">Adhikari also encouraged borrowers to develop sustainable business models, noting that subsidies will not last forever. "Nepali women entrepreneurs can compete with any women in the world as they have successfully run hotels and agro farms," Adhikari added.</span></p> <p><span style="font-size:20px">Governor also invited suggestions as the NRB is preparing for its new monetary policy, aiming to further support and enhance women's roles in the economy.</span></p> <p><span style="font-size:20px">Similarly, Chief Executive Officer of Standard Chartered Bank Nepal Limited Anirvan Ghosh Dastidar thanked New Business Age for the organization of the programme focused on women. “We thank the NBA for conducting programs that support women's entrepreneurship, leadership, and empowerment,” said Dastidar. </span></p> <p><span style="font-size:20px">He joyfully reminded the unique initiative where the Japanese Yen is made from Nepali paper, with the majority of the workforce being women. Appreciating the 16th national plan focusing on gender equality, he shared "Our association with NBA is strengthened by our Global Connect Program. </span></p> ', 'published' => true, 'created' => '2024-07-05', 'modified' => '2024-07-05', 'keywords' => '', 'description' => '', 'sortorder' => '21171', 'image' => '20240705060952_collage (56).jpg', 'article_date' => '2024-07-05 18:04:59', 'homepage' => false, 'breaking_news' => false, 'main_news' => true, 'in_scroller' => false, 'user_id' => '42' ) ) ) $current_user = null $logged_in = falseinclude - APP/View/Elements/side_bar.ctp, line 60 View::_evaluate() - CORE/Cake/View/View.php, line 971 View::_render() - CORE/Cake/View/View.php, line 933 View::_renderElement() - CORE/Cake/View/View.php, line 1224 View::element() - CORE/Cake/View/View.php, line 418 include - APP/View/Articles/index.ctp, line 157 View::_evaluate() - CORE/Cake/View/View.php, line 971 View::_render() - CORE/Cake/View/View.php, line 933 View::render() - CORE/Cake/View/View.php, line 473 Controller::render() - CORE/Cake/Controller/Controller.php, line 968 Dispatcher::_invoke() - CORE/Cake/Routing/Dispatcher.php, line 200 Dispatcher::dispatch() - CORE/Cake/Routing/Dispatcher.php, line 167 [main] - APP/webroot/index.php, line 117
Warning (2): simplexml_load_file() [<a href='http://php.net/function.simplexml-load-file'>function.simplexml-load-file</a>]: I/O warning : failed to load external entity "" [APP/View/Elements/side_bar.ctp, line 60]file not found!Code Context// $file = 'http://aabhiyan:QUVLg8Wzs2F7G9N7@nepalstock.com.np/api/indexdata.xml';if(!$xml = simplexml_load_file($file)){$viewFile = '/var/www/html/newbusinessage.com/app/View/Elements/side_bar.ctp' $dataForView = array( 'articles' => array( (int) 0 => array( 'Article' => array( [maximum depth reached] ) ), (int) 1 => array( 'Article' => array( [maximum depth reached] ) ), (int) 2 => array( 'Article' => array( [maximum depth reached] ) ), (int) 3 => array( 'Article' => array( [maximum depth reached] ) ), (int) 4 => array( 'Article' => array( [maximum depth reached] ) ), (int) 5 => array( 'Article' => array( [maximum depth reached] ) ), (int) 6 => array( 'Article' => array( [maximum depth reached] ) ), (int) 7 => array( 'Article' => array( [maximum depth reached] ) ), (int) 8 => array( 'Article' => array( [maximum depth reached] ) ), (int) 9 => array( 'Article' => array( [maximum depth reached] ) ), (int) 10 => array( 'Article' => array( [maximum depth reached] ) ), (int) 11 => array( 'Article' => array( [maximum depth reached] ) ), (int) 12 => array( 'Article' => array( [maximum depth reached] ) ), (int) 13 => array( 'Article' => array( [maximum depth reached] ) ), (int) 14 => array( 'Article' => array( [maximum depth reached] ) ) ), 'current_user' => null, 'logged_in' => false ) $articles = array( (int) 0 => array( 'Article' => array( 'id' => '21457', 'article_category_id' => '1', 'title' => 'Global Cereal Output Expected to Hit All-Time High in 2024', 'sub_title' => '', 'summary' => 'ROME: The Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations (FAO) has updated its forecast for global cereal production in 2024, now predicting it will reach 2,854 million tonnes, setting a new all-time high.', 'content' => '<p><span style="font-size:11pt"><span style="font-family:Calibri,"sans-serif""><span style="font-size:12.0pt"><span style="font-family:"Times New Roman","serif"">ROME: The Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations (FAO) has updated its forecast for global cereal production in 2024, now predicting it will reach 2,854 million tonnes, setting a new all-time high.</span></span></span></span></p> <p><span style="font-size:11pt"><span style="font-family:Calibri,"sans-serif""><span style="font-size:12.0pt"><span style="font-family:"Times New Roman","serif"">In its Cereal Supply and Demand Brief issued on Friday, the FAO attributed the increased projections to a better harvest outlook for maize in Argentina, Brazil, Türkiye, and Ukraine. These improvements are expected to offset downgrades in the outlook for Indonesia, Pakistan, and several Southern African countries. The wheat production forecast has also been raised due to better prospects in Asia, notably Pakistan, which should compensate for an expected decline in the Russian Federation caused by inclement weather in major wheat-producing areas earlier in the season.</span></span></span></span></p> <p><span style="font-size:11pt"><span style="font-family:Calibri,"sans-serif""><span style="font-size:12.0pt"><span style="font-family:"Times New Roman","serif"">Global rice production is projected to reach a record 535.1 million tonnes.</span></span></span></span></p> <p><span style="font-size:11pt"><span style="font-family:Calibri,"sans-serif""><span style="font-size:12.0pt"><span style="font-family:"Times New Roman","serif"">World cereal total utilization in 2024/25 is forecast to rise to 2,856 million tonnes, up 0.5 percent from the previous year, driven by increases in rice and coarse grains.</span></span></span></span></p> <p><span style="font-size:11pt"><span style="font-family:Calibri,"sans-serif""><span style="font-size:12.0pt"><span style="font-family:"Times New Roman","serif"">Global cereal stocks are forecast to expand by 1.3 percent in 2025, leaving the global cereal stocks-to-use ratio in 2024/25 nearly unchanged at 30.8 percent.</span></span></span></span></p> <p><span style="font-size:11pt"><span style="font-family:Calibri,"sans-serif""><span style="font-size:12.0pt"><span style="font-family:"Times New Roman","serif"">The FAO's forecast for international trade in total cereals remains unchanged at 481 million tonnes, representing a 3.0 percent decline from 2023/24. – ANI/RSS</span></span></span></span></p> <p> </p> ', 'published' => true, 'created' => '2024-07-07', 'modified' => '2024-07-07', 'keywords' => '', 'description' => '', 'sortorder' => '21185', 'image' => '20240707024016_cereal.jpg', 'article_date' => '2024-07-07 14:39:47', 'homepage' => false, 'breaking_news' => false, 'main_news' => true, 'in_scroller' => null, 'user_id' => '34' ) ), (int) 1 => array( 'Article' => array( 'id' => '21458', 'article_category_id' => '1', 'title' => 'Recent Floods and Landslides Claim 14 Lives', 'sub_title' => '', 'summary' => 'KATHMANDU: A total of 14 people have lost their lives due to disasters triggered by incessant monsoon rains in various parts of the country since Friday night. ', 'content' => '<p><span style="font-size:18px"><span style="font-family:Calibri,"sans-serif""><span style="font-family:"Times New Roman","serif"">KATHMANDU: A total of 14 people have lost their lives due to disasters triggered by incessant monsoon rains in various parts of the country since Friday night. Additionally, three people have gone missing due to landslides, flooding, and inundations. According to Police Spokesperson and Deputy Inspector General of Police, Dan Bahadur Karki, 18 people have been injured in these incidents.</span></span></span></p> <p><span style="font-size:18px"><span style="font-family:Calibri,"sans-serif""><span style="font-family:"Times New Roman","serif"">Of the 14 casualties, one was reported in Kathmandu, three in Syangja, two in Parbat, one in Udayapur, two in Kavrepalanchowk, one in Palpa, three in Tanahu, and one in Dang. </span></span></span></p> <p><span style="font-size:18px"><span style="font-family:Calibri,"sans-serif""><span style="font-family:"Times New Roman","serif"">Manoj BK from Lakhan Thapa rural municipality-6 in Gorkha was killed in a landslide in Nagarjun municipality-3 in Kathmandu. Other fatalities due to landslides include Raj Rai from Rautamai rural municipality-5 in Udayapur, and Jalamaya Rujal Magar and Setimaya Rujal from Roshi rural municipality-11 in Kavrepalanchowk.</span></span></span></p> <p><span style="font-size:18px"><span style="font-family:Calibri,"sans-serif""><span style="font-family:"Times New Roman","serif"">Other casualties from landslides include Hira Nepal, Anisha Bastola, and Shyam Bhandari from Shuklagandaki municipality-7 in Tanahu, and Guweshori Sharma Marasini, Madhav Sharma, and Harimaya Sharma from Biruwa rural municipality-6 in Syangja, according to the police.</span></span></span></p> <p><span style="font-size:18px"><span style="font-family:Calibri,"sans-serif""><span style="font-family:"Times New Roman","serif"">The Police Headquarters in Naxal reported that Jhalak Prasad Sharma and Tulsi Prasad Sharma of Phalebas municipality-1 in Parbat, Rima Saraha Ranamgar of Mathagadhi rural municipality-6 in Palpa, and Maniam Chaudhary of Bagrapur in Lamahi municipality-8 of Dang were also killed in landslides.</span></span></span></p> <p><span style="font-size:18px"><span style="font-family:Calibri,"sans-serif""><span style="font-family:"Times New Roman","serif"">Additionally, Jangmu Sherpa of Dolakha Gaurishankar rural municipality-9, Rajkumar Yadav of Rajpur rural municipality-2 in Dang, and Khem Kumari Mall of Syangja Bhirkot municipality-5 Jyamire are among those who missing in flooding and landslide incidents.</span></span></span></p> <p><span style="font-size:18px"><span style="font-family:Calibri,"sans-serif""><span style="font-family:"Times New Roman","serif"">Police reported that five people have been injured in Tanahu, one in Gulmi, two in Okhaldhunga, three in Kathmandu, one in Chitwan, and six in Syangja.</span></span></span></p> <p><span style="font-size:18px"><span style="font-family:Calibri,"sans-serif""><span style="font-family:"Times New Roman","serif"">The heavy rains have affected life across the country, with water levels rising in major rivers, including Koshi and Narayani. Police continue to patrol and monitor the banks of rivers and streams in Kathmandu Valley. Central Police Spokesperson Karki mentioned that the water level in the rivers within the Valley has increased due to the continuous rainfall.</span></span></span></p> <p><span style="font-size:18px"><span style="font-family:Calibri,"sans-serif""><span style="font-family:"Times New Roman","serif"">Security personnel from all three security agencies have been mobilized in the affected areas and remain on high alert, according to the Police Headquarters. -- RSS</span></span></span></p> <p> </p> ', 'published' => true, 'created' => '2024-07-07', 'modified' => '2024-07-07', 'keywords' => '', 'description' => '', 'sortorder' => '21184', 'image' => '20240707025512_NabinLamichhane_RSS_22_IMG-20240706-WA0008.jpg', 'article_date' => '2024-07-07 14:54:28', 'homepage' => false, 'breaking_news' => false, 'main_news' => true, 'in_scroller' => null, 'user_id' => '34' ) ), (int) 2 => array( 'Article' => array( 'id' => '21459', 'article_category_id' => '1', 'title' => 'All 56 Sluice Gates of Saptakoshi Opened ', 'sub_title' => '', 'summary' => 'DHARAN: The water level in the Saptakoshi River has continued to rise with incessant rainfall for the past few days, prompting the local administration to open all 56 sluice gates of the Koshi barrage. ', 'content' => '<p><span style="font-size:11pt"><span style="font-family:Calibri,"sans-serif""><span style="font-family:"Arial Unicode MS","sans-serif"">DHARAN: The water level in the Saptakoshi River has continued to rise with incessant rainfall for the past few days, prompting the local administration to open all 56 sluice gates of the Koshi barrage. </span><br /> <span style="font-family:"Arial Unicode MS","sans-serif"">According to Chief District Officer of Sunsari, Ramchandra Tiwari, the flow of water in the river has been measured at 368,000 cusecs per hour at the Koshi Barrage. The monitoring of the flow of water from the official level has been continued. Red lights are on to indicate the highest danger level from the river. </span><br /> <span style="font-family:"Arial Unicode MS","sans-serif"">According to the Saptakoshi Water Measurement Center, the flow of water in the river has exceeded the warning levels. The swollen river is likely to gush into some areas in Udayapur and Sunsari. CDO Tiwari has requested the residents living near the Saptakoshi river banks to stay alert and safe. -- RSS </span><br /> </span></span></p> <p> </p> ', 'published' => true, 'created' => '2024-07-07', 'modified' => '2024-07-07', 'keywords' => '', 'description' => '', 'sortorder' => '21183', 'image' => '20240707025826_AKY_Rajbiraj-1720295021148.jpg', 'article_date' => '2024-07-07 14:57:52', 'homepage' => false, 'breaking_news' => false, 'main_news' => true, 'in_scroller' => null, 'user_id' => '34' ) ), (int) 3 => array( 'Article' => array( 'id' => '21456', 'article_category_id' => '1', 'title' => 'Agricultural Loan Subsidies have not been Misused: NRB Governor', 'sub_title' => '', 'summary' => 'KATHMANDU: Governor of Nepal Rastra Bank (NRB), Maha Prasad Adhikari, has clarified that the interest subsidy provided for commercial agricultural loans has not been misused. ', 'content' => '<p><span style="font-size:11pt"><span style="font-family:Calibri,"sans-serif""><span style="font-size:12.0pt"><span style="font-family:"Times New Roman","serif"">KATHMANDU: Governor of Nepal Rastra Bank (NRB), Maha Prasad Adhikari, has clarified that the interest subsidy provided for commercial agricultural loans has not been misused. Speaking at the 23rd anniversary of Sana Kisan Bikas Laghubitta Bittiyasanstha Ltd (SKBBL), the NRB governor stated that an analysis of the subsidies given so far revealed no discrepancy. He mentioned that the process of recovering misused subsidies by a few individuals has already started.</span></span></span></span></p> <p><span style="font-size:11pt"><span style="font-family:Calibri,"sans-serif""><span style="font-size:12.0pt"><span style="font-family:"Times New Roman","serif"">“Misuse of agricultural loan subsidy is a superficial matter. This program has been successful, and the effectiveness of the grant is good. The process of recovering misused subsidies is ongoing,” Adhikari said.</span></span></span></span></p> <p><span style="font-size:11pt"><span style="font-family:Calibri,"sans-serif""><span style="font-size:12.0pt"><span style="font-family:"Times New Roman","serif"">He claimed that the Ministry of Finance, following the government's plan, prepared the procedures for providing interest subsidies to youth in commercial agricultural loans, and the subsidies were distributed accordingly. Adhikari highlighted that 126,000 borrowers have received subsidies for agricultural loans, with most beneficiaries being women and small farmers. However, he clarified that the grants have been halted since September 2022 due to controversies.</span></span></span></span></p> <p><span style="font-size:11pt"><span style="font-family:Calibri,"sans-serif""><span style="font-size:12.0pt"><span style="font-family:"Times New Roman","serif"">Governor Adhikari emphasized the important role of small farmer development microfinance and small farmer cooperatives in entrepreneurship development, job creation, and expanding financial access and literacy. He noted that while problems have emerged in the cooperative sector recently, such issues have not affected small farmer cooperatives. The governor also mentioned that agricultural work, previously looked down upon, is now respected.</span></span></span></span></p> <p><span style="font-size:11pt"><span style="font-family:Calibri,"sans-serif""><span style="font-size:12.0pt"><span style="font-family:"Times New Roman","serif"">Former Governor of NRB, Dipendra Bahadur Chhetri, expressed the view that the subsidies given for agricultural loans had been misused. He argued that political instability has lowered the morale of the private sector, making them reluctant to invest.</span></span></span></span></p> <p><span style="font-size:11pt"><span style="font-family:Calibri,"sans-serif""><span style="font-size:12.0pt"><span style="font-family:"Times New Roman","serif"">Chief Executive Officer of SKBBL, Shivaram Prasad Koirala, highlighted the organization's role in youth entrepreneurship development and expanding inclusive financial access through simple loan provisions. He stated that microfinance loans through small farmer agricultural cooperatives have contributed to domestic production by developing entrepreneurship and creating jobs. Koirala informed that SKBBL's services have reached 550 local levels across the country, benefiting more than 1.1 million families and serving a population of 4.5 million.</span></span></span></span></p> <p><span style="font-size:11pt"><span style="font-family:Calibri,"sans-serif""><span style="font-size:12.0pt"><span style="font-family:"Times New Roman","serif"">Koirala also mentioned that youths sent to Israel to learn agricultural technology have returned to Nepal and engaged in agricultural work. The Council for Technical Education and Vocational Training (CTEVT) provided scholarships to students studying agriculture and veterinary science, and farmers participated in various activities, including observation visits to different countries like India.</span></span></span></span></p> <p><span style="font-size:11pt"><span style="font-family:Calibri,"sans-serif""><span style="font-size:12.0pt"><span style="font-family:"Times New Roman","serif"">Additionally, Koirala stated that SKBBL took a loan from the Asian Development Bank to operate the Rural Enterprise Financing Project (REFP). He claimed that SKBBL has effectively provided simple and easy loans to small farmers, poor and backward communities, women, and marginalized groups.</span></span></span></span></p> <p> </p> ', 'published' => true, 'created' => '2024-07-07', 'modified' => '2024-07-07', 'keywords' => '', 'description' => '', 'sortorder' => '21182', 'image' => '20240707011950_20230815040326_agri maize.jpg', 'article_date' => '2024-07-07 13:18:59', 'homepage' => false, 'breaking_news' => false, 'main_news' => true, 'in_scroller' => null, 'user_id' => '34' ) ), (int) 4 => array( 'Article' => array( 'id' => '21454', 'article_category_id' => '1', 'title' => 'Problematic Cooperatives Unlikely to Return Depositors' Money: Police', 'sub_title' => '', 'summary' => 'KATHMANDU: Amid rising complaints about cooperatives failing to return depositors' money, the police have concluded that these problematic cooperatives are unlikely to do so. ', 'content' => '<p><span style="font-size:18px"><span style="font-family:"Times New Roman","serif"">KATHMANDU: Amid rising complaints about cooperatives failing to return depositors' money, the police have concluded that these problematic cooperatives are unlikely to do so. The police noted that weaknesses in cooperative registration, poor record management, and insufficient monitoring have contributed to the problem. Police officials emphasized that police investigation alone cannot resolve the issues in the cooperative sector or ensure the return of depositors' money. High-ranking police officers suggested that the government needs to adopt different strategies to solve these issues and return the deposits of the general public.</span></span></p> <p><span style="font-size:18px"><span style="font-family:"Times New Roman","serif"">Home Ministry Secretary Ek Narayan Aryal, Inspector General of Police Basanta Bahadur Kunwar, Central Investigation Department (CIB) Chief Shyamlal Gyawali, and Crime Investigation Department Chief Tek Bahadur Tamang made these remarks during a discussion organized by the Parliamentary Special Committee, formed to investigate the misappropriation of savings by cooperatives, on Friday.</span></span></p> <p><span style="font-size:18px"><span style="font-family:Calibri,"sans-serif""><span style="font-family:"Times New Roman","serif"">Inspector General of Police Kunwar informed the committee that the likelihood of recovering savings from the problematic cooperatives is very low.</span></span></span></p> <p><span style="font-size:18px"><span style="font-family:Calibri,"sans-serif""><span style="font-family:"Times New Roman","serif"">"Due to the failure of regulatory bodies to effectively oversee the cooperative sector, deposits have been embezzled and misused since registration," he said. </span></span></span></p> <p><span style="font-size:18px"><span style="font-family:Calibri,"sans-serif""><span style="font-family:"Times New Roman","serif"">According to the police, 55,410 victims have filed 5,300 complaints about not receiving their money back from cooperatives. Out of these, 98 complaints have led to investigations and registered cases, claiming a total of Rs 11.66 billion, the police officials informed the parliamentary committee. The police have arrested 294 out of 1,150 defendants, while 856 are still absconding. </span></span></span></p> <p><span style="font-size:18px"><span style="font-family:Calibri,"sans-serif""><span style="font-family:"Times New Roman","serif"">In the committee meeting, Inspector General Kunwar explained that directors of cooperatives took loans by mortgaging property acquired from savers in the bank. When the bank auctioned these properties at low prices, it put the cooperatives’ savings at risk. He also suggested forming a separate Financial Crime Control Bureau, noting that the police lack skilled manpower to investigate financial crimes. </span></span></span></p> <p><span style="font-size:18px"><span style="font-family:Calibri,"sans-serif""><span style="font-family:"Times New Roman","serif"">About a decade ago, a commission of inquiry headed by Gauri Bahadur Karki recommended forming a commission to return depositors’ money. The commission suggested study of troubled cooperatives, property search, and auction. Following the Karki Commission's suggestion, the Cooperatives Act of 2074 established a problematic cooperative management committee to investigate the assets of troubled cooperatives and settle their liabilities. </span></span></span></p> <p><span style="font-size:18px"><span style="font-family:Calibri,"sans-serif""><span style="font-family:"Times New Roman","serif"">On January 13, 2018, the Federal Government formed the 'Problematic Cooperative Management Committee.' Over six years, the committee has seen four chairpersons replaced and has been tasked with resolving 21 problematic institutions, but none have been fully resolved. Nine cooperatives are under separate police investigations. </span></span></span></p> <p><span style="font-size:18px"><span style="font-family:Calibri,"sans-serif""><span style="font-family:"Times New Roman","serif"">To address the problems of cooperatives, the government formed a task force headed by a member of the National Planning Commission last year. The task force, coordinated by Jayakant Raut, recommended that cooperatives engaging in large transactions should be monitored by the central bank. The report submitted to Prime Minister Pushpa Kamal Dahal last September also suggested forming a second-tier regulatory body for monitoring cooperatives and classifying them based on problems. It also recommended establishing a credit information center, and a debt recovery tribunal. However, these recommendations have not been implemented.</span></span></span></p> <p><span style="font-size:18px"><span style="font-family:Calibri,"sans-serif""><span style="font-family:"Times New Roman","serif"">Recently, Swarnalakshmi Cooperative and various other cooperatives were involved in the Gorkha media network scandal, implicating Deputy Prime Minister and Home Minister Ravi Lamichhane. Consequently, a parliamentary inquiry committee was formed to investigate 29 cooperatives, including 20 identified as problematic. Surya Thapa, chairman of the committee, stated that the cooperative issue is linked to the entire financial system and the banking sector and therefore the committee will discuss the matter with stakeholders.</span></span></span></p> <p> </p> ', 'published' => true, 'created' => '2024-07-07', 'modified' => '2024-07-07', 'keywords' => '', 'description' => '', 'sortorder' => '21181', 'image' => '20240707115721_cooperative-new.jpg', 'article_date' => '2024-07-07 11:56:35', 'homepage' => false, 'breaking_news' => false, 'main_news' => true, 'in_scroller' => null, 'user_id' => '34' ) ), (int) 5 => array( 'Article' => array( 'id' => '21453', 'article_category_id' => '1', 'title' => 'Floods Affect Electricity Generation', 'sub_title' => '', 'summary' => 'KATHMANDU: Power production plants across the country have been affected due to floods triggered by incessant rainfall. ', 'content' => '<p><span style="font-size:18px"><span style="font-family:Calibri,"sans-serif""><span style="font-family:"Arial Unicode MS","sans-serif"">KATHMANDU: Power production plants across the country have been affected due to floods triggered by incessant rainfall. As a result, power supply has been interrupted in some places. </span><br /> <span style="font-family:"Arial Unicode MS","sans-serif"">According to the Nepal Electricity Authority (NEA), power plants that produce about 640 megawatts of electricity have been shut down due to floods. </span><br /> <span style="font-family:"Arial Unicode MS","sans-serif"">Upper Tamakoshi, operated by Upper Tamakoshi Hydropower Limited, a subsidiary company of the NEA, with a capacity of 456 megawatts, has been closed since Friday evening due to flooding. </span><br /> <span style="font-family:"Arial Unicode MS","sans-serif"">Similarly, Sunkoshi Hydropower Project of 60 MW capacity and 10 MW capacity Upper Trishuli 'A' have also been closed. </span><br /> <span style="font-family:"Arial Unicode MS","sans-serif"">According to the information provided by the NEA load dispatch center, Balefi with a capacity of 36 MW, Lower Modi with a capacity of 20 MW, middle Modi with a capacity of 18 MW, and Upper Chamelia with a capacity of 40 MW have also been closed due to floods. </span><br /> <span style="font-family:"Arial Unicode MS","sans-serif"">Furthermore, some projects are running at low capacity. -- RSS</span></span></span></p> <p> </p> ', 'published' => true, 'created' => '2024-07-07', 'modified' => '2024-07-07', 'keywords' => '', 'description' => '', 'sortorder' => '21180', 'image' => '20240707105522_hydro.jpg', 'article_date' => '2024-07-07 10:54:41', 'homepage' => false, 'breaking_news' => false, 'main_news' => true, 'in_scroller' => null, 'user_id' => '34' ) ), (int) 6 => array( 'Article' => array( 'id' => '21455', 'article_category_id' => '1', 'title' => 'Flood Risks High till Today, Citizens Urged to Adopt Precautions ', 'sub_title' => '', 'summary' => 'KATHMANDU: The Flood Forecasting Division under the Department of Hydrology and Meteorology has urged the general public to adopt high security alert, stating that there is a risk of floods in different parts of the country until Sunday (today). ', 'content' => '<p><span style="font-size:18px"><span style="font-family:"Times New Roman","serif"">KATHMANDU: The Flood Forecasting Division under the Department of Hydrology and Meteorology has urged the general public to adopt high security alert, stating that there is a risk of floods in different parts of the country until Sunday (today). Due to the possibility of heavy rainfall, water levels in rivers may increase, causing a risk of flooding. </span></span></p> <p><span style="font-size:18px"><span style="font-family:"Times New Roman","serif"">The department's flood expert and hydrologist, Engineer Bijay Dhukuchu, reported that most of the small rivers flowing through Ilam, Jhapa, Morang, Lamjung, Kaski, Palpa, Nawalparasi East, and adjoining districts rose on Saturday. According to him, the flow of small rivers in Udayapur, Sindhuli, Makawanpur, Chitwan, Sindhupalchowk, Ramechhap, Achham, Doti, Kailali, and adjoining districts also increased on Saturday. </span></span></p> <p><span style="font-size:18px"><span style="font-family:"Times New Roman","serif"">"Most of the small rivers across the country are likely to see an increase in their flow on Sunday, and some small rivers in Gandaki, Lumbini, Karnali, and Sudurpaschim provinces may face flash floods," he warned.</span></span></p> <p><span style="font-size:18px"><span style="font-family:"Times New Roman","serif"">The division noted that the weather remained generally to fully cloudy throughout the country on Saturday, with light to moderate rain accompanied by thunder and lightning in many places. Heavy rainfall occurred in a few locations within Koshi, Madhes, Gandaki, Lumbini, and Sudurpaschim provinces, and in one or two places in the remaining provinces.</span></span></p> <p><span style="font-size:18px"><span style="font-family:"Times New Roman","serif"">The division urged the general public to take necessary precautions to avoid the possible risks of disasters such as landslides, floods, and soil erosion in areas prone to heavy rainfall. </span></span></p> <p><span style="font-size:18px"><span style="font-family:"Times New Roman","serif"">“These conditions may partially affect daily life, agriculture, health, tourism, mountaineering, road, and air transport in those areas," the department said in a statement.</span></span></p> <p> </p> ', 'published' => true, 'created' => '2024-07-07', 'modified' => '2024-07-07', 'keywords' => '', 'description' => '', 'sortorder' => '21179', 'image' => '20240707124644_450068615_895863605898971_6927651837151219684_n.jpg', 'article_date' => '2024-07-07 12:45:59', 'homepage' => false, 'breaking_news' => false, 'main_news' => true, 'in_scroller' => null, 'user_id' => '34' ) ), (int) 7 => array( 'Article' => array( 'id' => '21452', 'article_category_id' => '1', 'title' => 'Madhesh Province Spends Only 32% of Budget in Current Fiscal Year', 'sub_title' => '', 'summary' => 'With only a few days remaining in the current fiscal year, the Madhesh Province government has managed to spend just about one-third of its allocated budget. By end of July (mid-Asar) of the fiscal year 2080/81, the provincial government had expended only 32 percent of its total budget, according to the Ministry of Finance.', 'content' => '<p><span style="font-size:20px"><span style="font-family:Calibri,"sans-serif"">July 7: With only a few days remaining in the current fiscal year, the Madhesh Province government has managed to spend just about one-third of its allocated budget. </span></span><span style="font-size:20px"><span style="font-family:Calibri,"sans-serif"">By end of July (mid-Asar) of the fiscal year 2080/81, the provincial government had expended only 32 percent of its total budget, according to the Ministry of Finance.</span></span></p> <p><span style="font-size:20px"><span style="font-family:Calibri,"sans-serif"">The Provincial Treasury Controller Office, Madhesh, reported that out of the total budget of Rs 44.11 billion, only Rs 14.14 billion had been spent by mid-Asar. </span></span><span style="font-size:20px"><span style="font-family:Calibri,"sans-serif"">Of the Rs 18.54 billion allocated for current expenditures, only 35.55 percent has been utilized. Similarly, out of the Rs 25.57 billion allocated for capital expenditures, only 29.55 percent has been spent.</span></span></p> <p><span style="font-size:20px"><span style="font-family:Calibri,"sans-serif"">Chief Minister and other ministers have criticized the federal government for not allocating the budget proportionately to the population in Madhesh. However, the provincial government itself has failed to spend even half of its allocated budget. </span></span></p> <p><span style="font-size:20px"><span style="font-family:Calibri,"sans-serif"">Ajay Kumar Karn, Acting Secretary of the Ministry of Finance of Madhesh Province, attributed the under-expenditure to factors such as changes in coalition partners at the federal level, the necessity for the Chief Minister to seek votes of confidence repeatedly, and overall government instability.</span></span></p> <p><span style="font-size:20px"><span style="font-family:Calibri,"sans-serif"">In the previous fiscal year 2079/80, the province had a budget of Rs 47.02 billion, out of which Rs 27.33 billion was spent. In the fiscal year 2078/79, half of the budget was frozen, with only Rs 17.76 billion spent out of a budget of Rs 34.88 billion.</span></span></p> <p> </p> ', 'published' => true, 'created' => '2024-07-07', 'modified' => '2024-07-07', 'keywords' => '', 'description' => '', 'sortorder' => '21178', 'image' => '20240707063009_collage (58).jpg', 'article_date' => '2024-07-07 06:28:22', 'homepage' => false, 'breaking_news' => false, 'main_news' => true, 'in_scroller' => null, 'user_id' => '42' ) ), (int) 8 => array( 'Article' => array( 'id' => '21449', 'article_category_id' => '1', 'title' => 'Shyam Badan Shrestha Conferred Lifetime Achievement in Women Entrepreneurship Award', 'sub_title' => '', 'summary' => 'KATHMANDU: Shyam Badan Shrestha, who was conferred the Lifetime Achievement in Women Entrepreneurship Award during the NewBiz Business Women Summit and Awards 2024 on Friday, is an established name in the Nepali handicraft industry. ', 'content' => '<p><span style="font-size:18px"><span style="font-family:"Times New Roman","serif"">KATHMANDU: Shyam Badan Shrestha, who was conferred the Lifetime Achievement in Women Entrepreneurship Award during the NewBiz Business Women Summit and Awards 2024 on Friday, is an established name in the Nepali handicraft industry. She started handicraft production with her mother at the age of eight.</span></span></p> <p><span style="font-size:18px"><span style="font-family:"Times New Roman","serif"">Having lost her father before she was born, Shrestha learned to fight from an early age. Despite having no money to install electricity in their home, she would wake up at 2 am to make various handicraft products with her mother using oil lamps. This perseverance allowed her to pay for her schooling expenses. She used her experiences of struggle as a springboard to success, eventually completing her master's degree in Nepali Language and Literature from Tribhuvan University.</span></span></p> <p><span style="font-size:18px"><span style="font-family:"Times New Roman","serif"">After spending 13 years in the teaching profession, Shrestha founded Nepal Knotcraft Center with an investment of Rs 200 around 40 years ago, intending to financially empower other women like her. The awards citation handed to her during the ceremony described her as a beacon of perseverance, resilience, and innovation, inspiring generations of women entrepreneurs.</span></span></p> <p><span style="font-size:18px"><span style="font-family:"Times New Roman","serif"">Shrestha has given hope to many, showing that even a business with a small investment can bring future success. Her business, which now employs 300 women, has an annual turnover of up to Rs 10 million.</span></span></p> <p><span style="font-size:18px"><span style="font-family:"Times New Roman","serif"">In the early days of her entrepreneurship, she produced handicrafts from raw materials found in the Kathmandu Valley. Later, she visited about 65 districts to research indigenous raw materials in Nepal. She identified 45 types of fibrous plants, including allo, cardamom, corn husk, bamboo, straw, cane, and nigalo which could be used for producing handicraft products.</span></span></p> <p><span style="font-size:18px"><span style="font-family:"Times New Roman","serif"">Shrestha won the World Craft Council Award of Excellence for Handicraft in 2018 for producing handicraft materials made from fibrous plants. In the same year, she also won first prize in the SAARC Women Entrepreneurship Competition.</span></span></p> <p><span style="font-size:18px"><span style="font-family:"Times New Roman","serif"">The goods produced by her industry, located in the Patan industrial area, are currently being exported to Europe, America, Japan, and other countries, and are also sold in the domestic market. She emphasizes the use of Nepali raw materials to protect endangered Nepali handicrafts.</span></span></p> <p> </p> ', 'published' => true, 'created' => '2024-07-06', 'modified' => '2024-07-06', 'keywords' => '', 'description' => '', 'sortorder' => '21177', 'image' => '20240706105511_449069362_8664980046852504_8808563333510855685_n.jpg', 'article_date' => '2024-07-06 10:53:29', 'homepage' => false, 'breaking_news' => false, 'main_news' => true, 'in_scroller' => null, 'user_id' => '34' ) ), (int) 9 => array( 'Article' => array( 'id' => '21450', 'article_category_id' => '1', 'title' => 'Rainfall Taking Place All Over the Country ', 'sub_title' => '', 'summary' => 'KATHMANDU: The country is experiencing rainfall due to the influence of monsoon winds today (Saturday).', 'content' => '<p><span style="font-size:11pt"><span style="font-family:Calibri,"sans-serif""><span style="font-family:"Arial Unicode MS","sans-serif"">KATHMANDU: The country is experiencing rainfall due to the influence of monsoon winds today (Saturday). Most of the places in Bagmati, Gandaki and Lumbini provinces are receiving light to moderate rain, while rainfall is taking place in some places of the rest of the country. </span><br /> <span style="font-family:"Arial Unicode MS","sans-serif"">According to the Department of Hydrology and Meteorology, there will be light to moderate rain in many places of all the provinces on Saturday afternoon, with possibility of heavy rain at a few places in Bagmati, Gandaki and Lumbini provinces. </span><br /> <span style="font-family:"Arial Unicode MS","sans-serif"">Later tonight, the weather will be generally to completely cloudy across the country, with a possibility of light to moderate rain with thunder and lightning at some places in Koshi and Madhesh provinces and many places in the remaining provinces. </span></span></span></p> <p><span style="font-size:11pt"><span style="font-family:Calibri,"sans-serif""><span style="font-family:"Arial Unicode MS","sans-serif"">Heavy rain is likely in few places of Koshi, Bagmati, Gandaki, Lumbini, Karnali and Sudurpaschim provinces and one or two places of Madhesh province. -- RSS </span></span></span></p> <p> </p> ', 'published' => true, 'created' => '2024-07-06', 'modified' => '2024-07-06', 'keywords' => '', 'description' => '', 'sortorder' => '21176', 'image' => '20240706111626_20230904111644_rain (1).jpeg', 'article_date' => '2024-07-06 11:15:27', 'homepage' => false, 'breaking_news' => false, 'main_news' => true, 'in_scroller' => null, 'user_id' => '34' ) ), (int) 10 => array( 'Article' => array( 'id' => '21451', 'article_category_id' => '1', 'title' => 'Website of Chief Minister's Office Hacked ', 'sub_title' => '', 'summary' => 'DHANGADHI: The website of the Office of the Chief Minister and Council of Ministers in Sudurpaschim Province was hacked on Friday. ', 'content' => '<p><span style="font-size:18px"><span style="font-family:Calibri,"sans-serif""><span style="font-family:"Arial Unicode MS","sans-serif"">DHANGADHI: The website of the Office of the Chief Minister and Council of Ministers in Sudurpaschim Province was hacked on Friday. </span><br /> <span style="font-family:"Arial Unicode MS","sans-serif"">Information Officer at the Office, Jagadish Prasad Joshi, shared that they informed the Department of Information Technology, Kathmandu, soon after learning that the website was hacked. Efforts were on to recover the site. </span><br /> <span style="font-family:"Arial Unicode MS","sans-serif"">While opening the website, it read the portal was hacked by Cookies called Captain Smoker 3R, he added. The office portal has not been restored as of Saturday morning. -- RSS</span></span></span></p> <p> </p> ', 'published' => true, 'created' => '2024-07-06', 'modified' => '2024-07-06', 'keywords' => '', 'description' => '', 'sortorder' => '21175', 'image' => '20240706112024_20190412060905_3.jpg', 'article_date' => '2024-07-06 11:19:39', 'homepage' => false, 'breaking_news' => false, 'main_news' => true, 'in_scroller' => null, 'user_id' => '34' ) ), (int) 11 => array( 'Article' => array( 'id' => '21448', 'article_category_id' => '1', 'title' => 'NewBiz Business Women Summit and Awards 2024 Concludes', 'sub_title' => '', 'summary' => 'KATHMANDU: Mausumi Shrestha of Shree Kishan Innovation Hub has been declared as the 'The Best Woman Entrepreneur' during the NewBiz Business Women Summit and Awards 2024 on Friday. ', 'content' => '<p><span style="font-size:18px"><span style="font-family:"Times New Roman","serif""><span style="font-family:"Calibri","sans-serif"">KATHMANDU: The NewBiz Business Women Summit and Awards 2024 concluded on Friday, honouring 12 women entrepreneurs in recognition of their contributions to the development of entrepteneurship.</span></span></span></p> <p><span style="font-size:18px"><span style="font-family:"Times New Roman","serif""><span style="font-family:"Calibri","sans-serif"">Mausumi Shrestha of Shree Kishan Innovation Hub was declared as the 'The Best Woman Entrepreneur' during the awards ceremony held in the capital on Friday. She was awarded for her contribution in establishing the Shreenagar Agro Group which helps farmers produce crop with modern technology.</span></span></span></p> <p><span style="font-size:18px"><span style="font-family:"Times New Roman","serif""><span style="font-family:"Calibri","sans-serif"">The Lifetime Achievement Award in Women Entrepreneurship was conferred to Shyam Badan Shrestha of Nepal Knotcraft Centre Pvt Ltd for her immense contribution to the field of entrepreneurship.</span></span></span></p> <p><span style="font-size:18px"><span style="font-family:"Times New Roman","serif""><span style="font-family:"Calibri","sans-serif"">Other winners include Rita Pokharel, Director of InDrive, who received the award in the 'Professional Woman of Excellence' category.</span></span></span></p> <p><span style="font-size:18px"><span style="font-family:"Times New Roman","serif""><span style="font-family:"Calibri","sans-serif"">Similarly, Vedika Murarka, co-founder of Educase, won the 'Pioneer Social Entrepreneur of the Year' award, and Sonika Manandhar, co-founder of Aloi, received the 'Women in Tech' award.</span></span></span></p> <p><span style="font-size:18px"><span style="font-family:"Times New Roman","serif""><span style="font-family:"Calibri","sans-serif"">Additionally, in the 'Emerging Enterprising Woman of the Year' category, one recipient from each of the seven provinces was honored with an award and cash Rs 51,000 each. The 'Emerging Enterprising Woman of the Year' award recipients include Maya Gurung of the sandalwood industry in Taplejung, Koshi Province; Sunaina Thakur of Sunaina Artski in Dhanusha, Madhesh Province; Sapna Sapkota of Bella Kasa in Bagmati Province; Geeta Nath of Karnali Garment Industry in Kaski, Gandaki Province; Geeta Kumari Koiri Maurya of Banke Poultry Farm in Banke, Lumbini Province; Bhumisara Tomta of Shramjivi Masala Udyog in Surkhet, Karnali Province; and Savitri Ojha of Green Mountain Agricultural Development Firm in Dadeldhura, Sudurpaschim Province</span></span></span></p> <p><span style="font-size:18px"><span style="font-family:"Times New Roman","serif""><span style="font-family:"Calibri","sans-serif"">New Business Age has been organising this annual event since 2021 to encourage women entrepreneurs and recognize their contributions.</span></span></span></p> <p><span style="font-size:18px"><span style="font-family:"Times New Roman","serif""><span style="font-family:"Calibri","sans-serif"">An independent jury had selected the best women entrepreneurs across various categories for the awards. </span></span></span></p> <p><span style="font-size:18px"><span style="font-family:"Times New Roman","serif""><span style="font-family:"Calibri","sans-serif"">Nepal Rastra Bank’s Governor Maha Prasad Adhikari was the chief guest for the first half of the awards ceremony while Supreme Court Justice Sapana Pradhan Malla was the chief guest for the second half.</span></span></span></p> <p><span style="font-size:18px"><span style="font-family:"Times New Roman","serif""><span style="font-family:"Calibri","sans-serif"">New Business Age has been organizing this award since 2021 to encourage women entrepreneurs and recognize their contributions to society.</span></span></span></p> <p> </p> <p> </p> ', 'published' => true, 'created' => '2024-07-05', 'modified' => '2024-07-06', 'keywords' => '', 'description' => '', 'sortorder' => '21174', 'image' => '20240705073909_449375706_820201803149924_8755746597775457538_n.jpg', 'article_date' => '2024-07-05 19:38:36', 'homepage' => false, 'breaking_news' => false, 'main_news' => true, 'in_scroller' => false, 'user_id' => '34' ) ), (int) 12 => array( 'Article' => array( 'id' => '21447', 'article_category_id' => '1', 'title' => 'Entrepreneurship Leads to Women Empowerment: Justice Malla', 'sub_title' => '', 'summary' => 'Supreme Court Justice Sapana Pradhan Malla said that entrepreneurship would lead to women empowerment and independence.', 'content' => '<p><span style="font-size:20px"><span style="font-family:"Times New Roman","serif"">July 5: Supreme Court Justice Sapana Pradhan Malla said that entrepreneurship would lead to women empowerment and independence. </span></span></p> <p><span style="font-size:20px"><span style="font-family:"Times New Roman","serif"">Addressing NEWBIZ Business Women Summit and Awards 2024 in Kathmandu, Justice Malla thanked NBA for initiating the award ceremony. “I am deeply inspired by all women entrepreneurs hounoured today. The winners not only represent themselves but also women across the entire country. They have shown that women can achieve remarkable feats,” she added. </span></span></p> <p><span style="font-size:20px"><span style="font-family:"Times New Roman","serif"">Sharing how Pakistani people were amazed by Nepali women driving the tempos, Malla added that women have held the important positions such as President Chief Justice and other important posts in the country. </span></span></p> <p><span style="font-size:20px"><span style="font-family:"Times New Roman","serif"">Malla recalled her advocacy for women’s empowerment through the women’s ownership into property. “Women now own 37% of the land, with laws and regulations offering discounts on property tax,” she said. </span></span></p> <p><span style="font-size:20px"><span style="font-family:"Times New Roman","serif"">Malla said that despite various women friendly laws they have not come into implementation due to unawareness of the regulations. </span></span></p> <p><span style="font-size:20px"><span style="font-family:"Times New Roman","serif"">Malla, however, said that traditional mindset, feelings of inferiority, and the confinement to domestic roles are still posing challenges to the women. </span></span><span style="font-size:20px"><span style="font-family:"Times New Roman","serif"">She urged the women to participate in non-stereotypical entrepreneurship. She also stressed that awards would give recognition and validation to their works.</span></span></p> <p> </p> ', 'published' => true, 'created' => '2024-07-05', 'modified' => '2024-07-05', 'keywords' => '', 'description' => '', 'sortorder' => '21173', 'image' => '20240705071047_collage (57).jpg', 'article_date' => '2024-07-05 19:08:57', 'homepage' => false, 'breaking_news' => false, 'main_news' => true, 'in_scroller' => null, 'user_id' => '42' ) ), (int) 13 => array( 'Article' => array( 'id' => '21446', 'article_category_id' => '1', 'title' => 'Women Entrepreneurs Face More Challenges than Men: Stakeholders', 'sub_title' => '', 'summary' => 'KATHMANDU: Stakeholders at the New Business Women Summit and Awards 2024, organized by New Business Age Pvt Ltd, highlighted that women entrepreneurs face more challenges than their male counterparts.', 'content' => '<p><span style="font-size:11pt"><span style="font-family:Calibri,"sans-serif""><strong><span style="font-size:12.0pt"><span style="font-family:"Times New Roman","serif"">KATHMANDU:</span></span></strong><span style="font-size:12.0pt"><span style="font-family:"Times New Roman","serif""> Stakeholders at the New Business Women Summit and Awards 2024, organized by New Business Age Pvt Ltd, highlighted that women entrepreneurs face more challenges than their male counterparts.</span></span></span></span></p> <p><span style="font-size:11pt"><span style="font-family:Calibri,"sans-serif""><span style="font-size:12.0pt"><span style="font-family:"Times New Roman","serif"">During the event, Padmakshi Rana, Executive Director of Impact Hub Kathmandu and a speaker in the panel discussion on 'Strengthening Women's Business Leadership,' pointed out that women face significant hurdles, especially in gaining financial access. </span></span></span></span></p> <p><span style="font-size:11pt"><span style="font-family:Calibri,"sans-serif""><span style="font-size:12.0pt"><span style="font-family:"Times New Roman","serif"">"The biggest problem women entrepreneurs face is financial access," she said. "Challenges begin right from the creation of a business plan." Rana also mentioned generational and gender-related issues, such as difficulties with documentation, registration, and communication.</span></span></span></span></p> <p><span style="font-size:11pt"><span style="font-family:Calibri,"sans-serif""><span style="font-size:12.0pt"><span style="font-family:"Times New Roman","serif"">Swastika Shrestha, CEO of Teach for Nepal, shared insights from her 12 years of experience in the education sector. She noted that there has been no significant improvement in SLC results over the years, with around 60 percent of students failing in the past and 80 percent of students still attending public schools, a large number of whom are girls.</span></span></span></span></p> <p><span style="font-size:11pt"><span style="font-family:Calibri,"sans-serif""><span style="font-size:12.0pt"><span style="font-family:"Times New Roman","serif"">"In our society, sons receive institutional education while daughters are given formal education," Shrestha said. "This disparity lowers the morale of girls in public schools, affecting their personality and leadership development, and limiting their potential to become entrepreneurs or leaders." She emphasized the need for educational reforms and improved family financial conditions to support women's entrepreneurial efforts.</span></span></span></span></p> <p><span style="font-size:11pt"><span style="font-family:Calibri,"sans-serif""><span style="font-size:12.0pt"><span style="font-family:"Times New Roman","serif"">Mahesh Bhattarai, Joint Secretary and Chief of the Economic Management Division of the National Planning Commission, stated that Nepal's constitution provides a foundation for women's empowerment by ensuring equality and special rights. He noted that Nepal's periodic plans contribute to women's capacity development and empowerment.</span></span></span></span></p> <p><span style="font-size:11pt"><span style="font-family:Calibri,"sans-serif""><span style="font-size:12.0pt"><span style="font-family:"Times New Roman","serif""> "We must work together to advance women's capacity development and empowerment," Bhattarai said. He highlighted ongoing preparations for the implementation of the 16th Plan, focusing on prioritizing women's issues across all development sectors. Bhattarai also mentioned the government's efforts in providing tax concessions, budget allocations, and business facilitation, emphasizing the need for these initiatives to be implemented effectively.</span></span></span></span></p> <p><span style="font-size:11pt"><span style="font-family:Calibri,"sans-serif""><span style="font-size:12.0pt"><span style="font-family:"Times New Roman","serif"">Samanata Thapa, Co-founder and Program Head of Startup Discovery Asia, facilitated the panel discussion.</span></span></span></span></p> <p><span style="font-size:11pt"><span style="font-family:Calibri,"sans-serif""><span style="font-size:12.0pt"><span style="font-family:"Times New Roman","serif"">The New Business Women Summit and Awards 2024 brought together stakeholders to discuss and address the unique challenges faced by women entrepreneurs, emphasizing the importance of collective efforts in fostering an inclusive and supportive entrepreneurial environment.</span></span></span></span></p> <p> </p> ', 'published' => true, 'created' => '2024-07-05', 'modified' => '2024-07-05', 'keywords' => '', 'description' => '', 'sortorder' => '21172', 'image' => '20240705064438_22101dbe.jpeg', 'article_date' => '2024-07-05 18:44:19', 'homepage' => false, 'breaking_news' => false, 'main_news' => true, 'in_scroller' => null, 'user_id' => '34' ) ), (int) 14 => array( 'Article' => array( 'id' => '21445', 'article_category_id' => '1', 'title' => 'Women Entrepreneurs Have Made Country Proud, Says NRB Governor', 'sub_title' => '', 'summary' => 'Maha Prasad Adhikari, Governor of Nepal Rastra Bank said that Nepal should highlight women entrepreneurs as their entrepreneurship has made the country proud in the international community. ', 'content' => '<p><span style="font-size:20px">July 5: Maha Prasad Adhikari, Governor of Nepal Rastra Bank said that Nepal should highlight women entrepreneurs as their entrepreneurship has made the country proud in the international community. </span></p> <p><span style="font-size:20px">Speaking at the NEWBIZ Business Women Summit and Awards 2024, Governor Adhikari expressed his gratitude and congratulations for organizing programs focused on women's empowerment and entrepreneurship. </span></p> <p><span style="font-size:20px">Adhikari highlighted significant improvements in the gender gap, noting a 6% increase in women's inclusion in banking, according to the latest NRB report.</span></p> <p><span style="font-size:20px">Adhikari revealed that 126,000 people have taken concessional loans from banks, with 75,000 of them being women, who have collectively borrowed Rs 43 billion. </span></p> <p><span style="font-size:20px">He urged bankers to support women entrepreneurs. "If any woman is interested in starting a business, do support them making the access to loan easy and simple," he emphasized.</span></p> <p><span style="font-size:20px">The Governor also addressed concerns regarding the misuse of concessional loans provided to women entrepreneurs. He stressed that as long as the loans achieve their intended objectives, their use should not be misinterpreted. </span></p> <p><span style="font-size:20px">Adhikari also encouraged borrowers to develop sustainable business models, noting that subsidies will not last forever. "Nepali women entrepreneurs can compete with any women in the world as they have successfully run hotels and agro farms," Adhikari added.</span></p> <p><span style="font-size:20px">Governor also invited suggestions as the NRB is preparing for its new monetary policy, aiming to further support and enhance women's roles in the economy.</span></p> <p><span style="font-size:20px">Similarly, Chief Executive Officer of Standard Chartered Bank Nepal Limited Anirvan Ghosh Dastidar thanked New Business Age for the organization of the programme focused on women. “We thank the NBA for conducting programs that support women's entrepreneurship, leadership, and empowerment,” said Dastidar. </span></p> <p><span style="font-size:20px">He joyfully reminded the unique initiative where the Japanese Yen is made from Nepali paper, with the majority of the workforce being women. Appreciating the 16th national plan focusing on gender equality, he shared "Our association with NBA is strengthened by our Global Connect Program. </span></p> ', 'published' => true, 'created' => '2024-07-05', 'modified' => '2024-07-05', 'keywords' => '', 'description' => '', 'sortorder' => '21171', 'image' => '20240705060952_collage (56).jpg', 'article_date' => '2024-07-05 18:04:59', 'homepage' => false, 'breaking_news' => false, 'main_news' => true, 'in_scroller' => false, 'user_id' => '42' ) ) ) $current_user = null $logged_in = falsesimplexml_load_file - [internal], line ?? include - APP/View/Elements/side_bar.ctp, line 60 View::_evaluate() - CORE/Cake/View/View.php, line 971 View::_render() - CORE/Cake/View/View.php, line 933 View::_renderElement() - CORE/Cake/View/View.php, line 1224 View::element() - CORE/Cake/View/View.php, line 418 include - APP/View/Articles/index.ctp, line 157 View::_evaluate() - CORE/Cake/View/View.php, line 971 View::_render() - CORE/Cake/View/View.php, line 933 View::render() - CORE/Cake/View/View.php, line 473 Controller::render() - CORE/Cake/Controller/Controller.php, line 968 Dispatcher::_invoke() - CORE/Cake/Routing/Dispatcher.php, line 200 Dispatcher::dispatch() - CORE/Cake/Routing/Dispatcher.php, line 167 [main] - APP/webroot/index.php, line 117
Notice (8): Undefined variable: file [APP/View/Elements/side_bar.ctp, line 133]Code Context// $file = 'http://aabhiyan:QUVLg8Wzs2F7G9N7@nepalstock.com.np/api/subindexdata.xml';if(!$xml = simplexml_load_file($file)){$viewFile = '/var/www/html/newbusinessage.com/app/View/Elements/side_bar.ctp' $dataForView = array( 'articles' => array( (int) 0 => array( 'Article' => array( [maximum depth reached] ) ), (int) 1 => array( 'Article' => array( [maximum depth reached] ) ), (int) 2 => array( 'Article' => array( [maximum depth reached] ) ), (int) 3 => array( 'Article' => array( [maximum depth reached] ) ), (int) 4 => array( 'Article' => array( [maximum depth reached] ) ), (int) 5 => array( 'Article' => array( [maximum depth reached] ) ), (int) 6 => array( 'Article' => array( [maximum depth reached] ) ), (int) 7 => array( 'Article' => array( [maximum depth reached] ) ), (int) 8 => array( 'Article' => array( [maximum depth reached] ) ), (int) 9 => array( 'Article' => array( [maximum depth reached] ) ), (int) 10 => array( 'Article' => array( [maximum depth reached] ) ), (int) 11 => array( 'Article' => array( [maximum depth reached] ) ), (int) 12 => array( 'Article' => array( [maximum depth reached] ) ), (int) 13 => array( 'Article' => array( [maximum depth reached] ) ), (int) 14 => array( 'Article' => array( [maximum depth reached] ) ) ), 'current_user' => null, 'logged_in' => false ) $articles = array( (int) 0 => array( 'Article' => array( 'id' => '21457', 'article_category_id' => '1', 'title' => 'Global Cereal Output Expected to Hit All-Time High in 2024', 'sub_title' => '', 'summary' => 'ROME: The Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations (FAO) has updated its forecast for global cereal production in 2024, now predicting it will reach 2,854 million tonnes, setting a new all-time high.', 'content' => '<p><span style="font-size:11pt"><span style="font-family:Calibri,"sans-serif""><span style="font-size:12.0pt"><span style="font-family:"Times New Roman","serif"">ROME: The Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations (FAO) has updated its forecast for global cereal production in 2024, now predicting it will reach 2,854 million tonnes, setting a new all-time high.</span></span></span></span></p> <p><span style="font-size:11pt"><span style="font-family:Calibri,"sans-serif""><span style="font-size:12.0pt"><span style="font-family:"Times New Roman","serif"">In its Cereal Supply and Demand Brief issued on Friday, the FAO attributed the increased projections to a better harvest outlook for maize in Argentina, Brazil, Türkiye, and Ukraine. These improvements are expected to offset downgrades in the outlook for Indonesia, Pakistan, and several Southern African countries. The wheat production forecast has also been raised due to better prospects in Asia, notably Pakistan, which should compensate for an expected decline in the Russian Federation caused by inclement weather in major wheat-producing areas earlier in the season.</span></span></span></span></p> <p><span style="font-size:11pt"><span style="font-family:Calibri,"sans-serif""><span style="font-size:12.0pt"><span style="font-family:"Times New Roman","serif"">Global rice production is projected to reach a record 535.1 million tonnes.</span></span></span></span></p> <p><span style="font-size:11pt"><span style="font-family:Calibri,"sans-serif""><span style="font-size:12.0pt"><span style="font-family:"Times New Roman","serif"">World cereal total utilization in 2024/25 is forecast to rise to 2,856 million tonnes, up 0.5 percent from the previous year, driven by increases in rice and coarse grains.</span></span></span></span></p> <p><span style="font-size:11pt"><span style="font-family:Calibri,"sans-serif""><span style="font-size:12.0pt"><span style="font-family:"Times New Roman","serif"">Global cereal stocks are forecast to expand by 1.3 percent in 2025, leaving the global cereal stocks-to-use ratio in 2024/25 nearly unchanged at 30.8 percent.</span></span></span></span></p> <p><span style="font-size:11pt"><span style="font-family:Calibri,"sans-serif""><span style="font-size:12.0pt"><span style="font-family:"Times New Roman","serif"">The FAO's forecast for international trade in total cereals remains unchanged at 481 million tonnes, representing a 3.0 percent decline from 2023/24. – ANI/RSS</span></span></span></span></p> <p> </p> ', 'published' => true, 'created' => '2024-07-07', 'modified' => '2024-07-07', 'keywords' => '', 'description' => '', 'sortorder' => '21185', 'image' => '20240707024016_cereal.jpg', 'article_date' => '2024-07-07 14:39:47', 'homepage' => false, 'breaking_news' => false, 'main_news' => true, 'in_scroller' => null, 'user_id' => '34' ) ), (int) 1 => array( 'Article' => array( 'id' => '21458', 'article_category_id' => '1', 'title' => 'Recent Floods and Landslides Claim 14 Lives', 'sub_title' => '', 'summary' => 'KATHMANDU: A total of 14 people have lost their lives due to disasters triggered by incessant monsoon rains in various parts of the country since Friday night. ', 'content' => '<p><span style="font-size:18px"><span style="font-family:Calibri,"sans-serif""><span style="font-family:"Times New Roman","serif"">KATHMANDU: A total of 14 people have lost their lives due to disasters triggered by incessant monsoon rains in various parts of the country since Friday night. Additionally, three people have gone missing due to landslides, flooding, and inundations. According to Police Spokesperson and Deputy Inspector General of Police, Dan Bahadur Karki, 18 people have been injured in these incidents.</span></span></span></p> <p><span style="font-size:18px"><span style="font-family:Calibri,"sans-serif""><span style="font-family:"Times New Roman","serif"">Of the 14 casualties, one was reported in Kathmandu, three in Syangja, two in Parbat, one in Udayapur, two in Kavrepalanchowk, one in Palpa, three in Tanahu, and one in Dang. </span></span></span></p> <p><span style="font-size:18px"><span style="font-family:Calibri,"sans-serif""><span style="font-family:"Times New Roman","serif"">Manoj BK from Lakhan Thapa rural municipality-6 in Gorkha was killed in a landslide in Nagarjun municipality-3 in Kathmandu. Other fatalities due to landslides include Raj Rai from Rautamai rural municipality-5 in Udayapur, and Jalamaya Rujal Magar and Setimaya Rujal from Roshi rural municipality-11 in Kavrepalanchowk.</span></span></span></p> <p><span style="font-size:18px"><span style="font-family:Calibri,"sans-serif""><span style="font-family:"Times New Roman","serif"">Other casualties from landslides include Hira Nepal, Anisha Bastola, and Shyam Bhandari from Shuklagandaki municipality-7 in Tanahu, and Guweshori Sharma Marasini, Madhav Sharma, and Harimaya Sharma from Biruwa rural municipality-6 in Syangja, according to the police.</span></span></span></p> <p><span style="font-size:18px"><span style="font-family:Calibri,"sans-serif""><span style="font-family:"Times New Roman","serif"">The Police Headquarters in Naxal reported that Jhalak Prasad Sharma and Tulsi Prasad Sharma of Phalebas municipality-1 in Parbat, Rima Saraha Ranamgar of Mathagadhi rural municipality-6 in Palpa, and Maniam Chaudhary of Bagrapur in Lamahi municipality-8 of Dang were also killed in landslides.</span></span></span></p> <p><span style="font-size:18px"><span style="font-family:Calibri,"sans-serif""><span style="font-family:"Times New Roman","serif"">Additionally, Jangmu Sherpa of Dolakha Gaurishankar rural municipality-9, Rajkumar Yadav of Rajpur rural municipality-2 in Dang, and Khem Kumari Mall of Syangja Bhirkot municipality-5 Jyamire are among those who missing in flooding and landslide incidents.</span></span></span></p> <p><span style="font-size:18px"><span style="font-family:Calibri,"sans-serif""><span style="font-family:"Times New Roman","serif"">Police reported that five people have been injured in Tanahu, one in Gulmi, two in Okhaldhunga, three in Kathmandu, one in Chitwan, and six in Syangja.</span></span></span></p> <p><span style="font-size:18px"><span style="font-family:Calibri,"sans-serif""><span style="font-family:"Times New Roman","serif"">The heavy rains have affected life across the country, with water levels rising in major rivers, including Koshi and Narayani. Police continue to patrol and monitor the banks of rivers and streams in Kathmandu Valley. Central Police Spokesperson Karki mentioned that the water level in the rivers within the Valley has increased due to the continuous rainfall.</span></span></span></p> <p><span style="font-size:18px"><span style="font-family:Calibri,"sans-serif""><span style="font-family:"Times New Roman","serif"">Security personnel from all three security agencies have been mobilized in the affected areas and remain on high alert, according to the Police Headquarters. -- RSS</span></span></span></p> <p> </p> ', 'published' => true, 'created' => '2024-07-07', 'modified' => '2024-07-07', 'keywords' => '', 'description' => '', 'sortorder' => '21184', 'image' => '20240707025512_NabinLamichhane_RSS_22_IMG-20240706-WA0008.jpg', 'article_date' => '2024-07-07 14:54:28', 'homepage' => false, 'breaking_news' => false, 'main_news' => true, 'in_scroller' => null, 'user_id' => '34' ) ), (int) 2 => array( 'Article' => array( 'id' => '21459', 'article_category_id' => '1', 'title' => 'All 56 Sluice Gates of Saptakoshi Opened ', 'sub_title' => '', 'summary' => 'DHARAN: The water level in the Saptakoshi River has continued to rise with incessant rainfall for the past few days, prompting the local administration to open all 56 sluice gates of the Koshi barrage. ', 'content' => '<p><span style="font-size:11pt"><span style="font-family:Calibri,"sans-serif""><span style="font-family:"Arial Unicode MS","sans-serif"">DHARAN: The water level in the Saptakoshi River has continued to rise with incessant rainfall for the past few days, prompting the local administration to open all 56 sluice gates of the Koshi barrage. </span><br /> <span style="font-family:"Arial Unicode MS","sans-serif"">According to Chief District Officer of Sunsari, Ramchandra Tiwari, the flow of water in the river has been measured at 368,000 cusecs per hour at the Koshi Barrage. The monitoring of the flow of water from the official level has been continued. Red lights are on to indicate the highest danger level from the river. </span><br /> <span style="font-family:"Arial Unicode MS","sans-serif"">According to the Saptakoshi Water Measurement Center, the flow of water in the river has exceeded the warning levels. The swollen river is likely to gush into some areas in Udayapur and Sunsari. CDO Tiwari has requested the residents living near the Saptakoshi river banks to stay alert and safe. -- RSS </span><br /> </span></span></p> <p> </p> ', 'published' => true, 'created' => '2024-07-07', 'modified' => '2024-07-07', 'keywords' => '', 'description' => '', 'sortorder' => '21183', 'image' => '20240707025826_AKY_Rajbiraj-1720295021148.jpg', 'article_date' => '2024-07-07 14:57:52', 'homepage' => false, 'breaking_news' => false, 'main_news' => true, 'in_scroller' => null, 'user_id' => '34' ) ), (int) 3 => array( 'Article' => array( 'id' => '21456', 'article_category_id' => '1', 'title' => 'Agricultural Loan Subsidies have not been Misused: NRB Governor', 'sub_title' => '', 'summary' => 'KATHMANDU: Governor of Nepal Rastra Bank (NRB), Maha Prasad Adhikari, has clarified that the interest subsidy provided for commercial agricultural loans has not been misused. ', 'content' => '<p><span style="font-size:11pt"><span style="font-family:Calibri,"sans-serif""><span style="font-size:12.0pt"><span style="font-family:"Times New Roman","serif"">KATHMANDU: Governor of Nepal Rastra Bank (NRB), Maha Prasad Adhikari, has clarified that the interest subsidy provided for commercial agricultural loans has not been misused. Speaking at the 23rd anniversary of Sana Kisan Bikas Laghubitta Bittiyasanstha Ltd (SKBBL), the NRB governor stated that an analysis of the subsidies given so far revealed no discrepancy. He mentioned that the process of recovering misused subsidies by a few individuals has already started.</span></span></span></span></p> <p><span style="font-size:11pt"><span style="font-family:Calibri,"sans-serif""><span style="font-size:12.0pt"><span style="font-family:"Times New Roman","serif"">“Misuse of agricultural loan subsidy is a superficial matter. This program has been successful, and the effectiveness of the grant is good. The process of recovering misused subsidies is ongoing,” Adhikari said.</span></span></span></span></p> <p><span style="font-size:11pt"><span style="font-family:Calibri,"sans-serif""><span style="font-size:12.0pt"><span style="font-family:"Times New Roman","serif"">He claimed that the Ministry of Finance, following the government's plan, prepared the procedures for providing interest subsidies to youth in commercial agricultural loans, and the subsidies were distributed accordingly. Adhikari highlighted that 126,000 borrowers have received subsidies for agricultural loans, with most beneficiaries being women and small farmers. However, he clarified that the grants have been halted since September 2022 due to controversies.</span></span></span></span></p> <p><span style="font-size:11pt"><span style="font-family:Calibri,"sans-serif""><span style="font-size:12.0pt"><span style="font-family:"Times New Roman","serif"">Governor Adhikari emphasized the important role of small farmer development microfinance and small farmer cooperatives in entrepreneurship development, job creation, and expanding financial access and literacy. He noted that while problems have emerged in the cooperative sector recently, such issues have not affected small farmer cooperatives. The governor also mentioned that agricultural work, previously looked down upon, is now respected.</span></span></span></span></p> <p><span style="font-size:11pt"><span style="font-family:Calibri,"sans-serif""><span style="font-size:12.0pt"><span style="font-family:"Times New Roman","serif"">Former Governor of NRB, Dipendra Bahadur Chhetri, expressed the view that the subsidies given for agricultural loans had been misused. He argued that political instability has lowered the morale of the private sector, making them reluctant to invest.</span></span></span></span></p> <p><span style="font-size:11pt"><span style="font-family:Calibri,"sans-serif""><span style="font-size:12.0pt"><span style="font-family:"Times New Roman","serif"">Chief Executive Officer of SKBBL, Shivaram Prasad Koirala, highlighted the organization's role in youth entrepreneurship development and expanding inclusive financial access through simple loan provisions. He stated that microfinance loans through small farmer agricultural cooperatives have contributed to domestic production by developing entrepreneurship and creating jobs. Koirala informed that SKBBL's services have reached 550 local levels across the country, benefiting more than 1.1 million families and serving a population of 4.5 million.</span></span></span></span></p> <p><span style="font-size:11pt"><span style="font-family:Calibri,"sans-serif""><span style="font-size:12.0pt"><span style="font-family:"Times New Roman","serif"">Koirala also mentioned that youths sent to Israel to learn agricultural technology have returned to Nepal and engaged in agricultural work. The Council for Technical Education and Vocational Training (CTEVT) provided scholarships to students studying agriculture and veterinary science, and farmers participated in various activities, including observation visits to different countries like India.</span></span></span></span></p> <p><span style="font-size:11pt"><span style="font-family:Calibri,"sans-serif""><span style="font-size:12.0pt"><span style="font-family:"Times New Roman","serif"">Additionally, Koirala stated that SKBBL took a loan from the Asian Development Bank to operate the Rural Enterprise Financing Project (REFP). He claimed that SKBBL has effectively provided simple and easy loans to small farmers, poor and backward communities, women, and marginalized groups.</span></span></span></span></p> <p> </p> ', 'published' => true, 'created' => '2024-07-07', 'modified' => '2024-07-07', 'keywords' => '', 'description' => '', 'sortorder' => '21182', 'image' => '20240707011950_20230815040326_agri maize.jpg', 'article_date' => '2024-07-07 13:18:59', 'homepage' => false, 'breaking_news' => false, 'main_news' => true, 'in_scroller' => null, 'user_id' => '34' ) ), (int) 4 => array( 'Article' => array( 'id' => '21454', 'article_category_id' => '1', 'title' => 'Problematic Cooperatives Unlikely to Return Depositors' Money: Police', 'sub_title' => '', 'summary' => 'KATHMANDU: Amid rising complaints about cooperatives failing to return depositors' money, the police have concluded that these problematic cooperatives are unlikely to do so. ', 'content' => '<p><span style="font-size:18px"><span style="font-family:"Times New Roman","serif"">KATHMANDU: Amid rising complaints about cooperatives failing to return depositors' money, the police have concluded that these problematic cooperatives are unlikely to do so. The police noted that weaknesses in cooperative registration, poor record management, and insufficient monitoring have contributed to the problem. Police officials emphasized that police investigation alone cannot resolve the issues in the cooperative sector or ensure the return of depositors' money. High-ranking police officers suggested that the government needs to adopt different strategies to solve these issues and return the deposits of the general public.</span></span></p> <p><span style="font-size:18px"><span style="font-family:"Times New Roman","serif"">Home Ministry Secretary Ek Narayan Aryal, Inspector General of Police Basanta Bahadur Kunwar, Central Investigation Department (CIB) Chief Shyamlal Gyawali, and Crime Investigation Department Chief Tek Bahadur Tamang made these remarks during a discussion organized by the Parliamentary Special Committee, formed to investigate the misappropriation of savings by cooperatives, on Friday.</span></span></p> <p><span style="font-size:18px"><span style="font-family:Calibri,"sans-serif""><span style="font-family:"Times New Roman","serif"">Inspector General of Police Kunwar informed the committee that the likelihood of recovering savings from the problematic cooperatives is very low.</span></span></span></p> <p><span style="font-size:18px"><span style="font-family:Calibri,"sans-serif""><span style="font-family:"Times New Roman","serif"">"Due to the failure of regulatory bodies to effectively oversee the cooperative sector, deposits have been embezzled and misused since registration," he said. </span></span></span></p> <p><span style="font-size:18px"><span style="font-family:Calibri,"sans-serif""><span style="font-family:"Times New Roman","serif"">According to the police, 55,410 victims have filed 5,300 complaints about not receiving their money back from cooperatives. Out of these, 98 complaints have led to investigations and registered cases, claiming a total of Rs 11.66 billion, the police officials informed the parliamentary committee. The police have arrested 294 out of 1,150 defendants, while 856 are still absconding. </span></span></span></p> <p><span style="font-size:18px"><span style="font-family:Calibri,"sans-serif""><span style="font-family:"Times New Roman","serif"">In the committee meeting, Inspector General Kunwar explained that directors of cooperatives took loans by mortgaging property acquired from savers in the bank. When the bank auctioned these properties at low prices, it put the cooperatives’ savings at risk. He also suggested forming a separate Financial Crime Control Bureau, noting that the police lack skilled manpower to investigate financial crimes. </span></span></span></p> <p><span style="font-size:18px"><span style="font-family:Calibri,"sans-serif""><span style="font-family:"Times New Roman","serif"">About a decade ago, a commission of inquiry headed by Gauri Bahadur Karki recommended forming a commission to return depositors’ money. The commission suggested study of troubled cooperatives, property search, and auction. Following the Karki Commission's suggestion, the Cooperatives Act of 2074 established a problematic cooperative management committee to investigate the assets of troubled cooperatives and settle their liabilities. </span></span></span></p> <p><span style="font-size:18px"><span style="font-family:Calibri,"sans-serif""><span style="font-family:"Times New Roman","serif"">On January 13, 2018, the Federal Government formed the 'Problematic Cooperative Management Committee.' Over six years, the committee has seen four chairpersons replaced and has been tasked with resolving 21 problematic institutions, but none have been fully resolved. Nine cooperatives are under separate police investigations. </span></span></span></p> <p><span style="font-size:18px"><span style="font-family:Calibri,"sans-serif""><span style="font-family:"Times New Roman","serif"">To address the problems of cooperatives, the government formed a task force headed by a member of the National Planning Commission last year. The task force, coordinated by Jayakant Raut, recommended that cooperatives engaging in large transactions should be monitored by the central bank. The report submitted to Prime Minister Pushpa Kamal Dahal last September also suggested forming a second-tier regulatory body for monitoring cooperatives and classifying them based on problems. It also recommended establishing a credit information center, and a debt recovery tribunal. However, these recommendations have not been implemented.</span></span></span></p> <p><span style="font-size:18px"><span style="font-family:Calibri,"sans-serif""><span style="font-family:"Times New Roman","serif"">Recently, Swarnalakshmi Cooperative and various other cooperatives were involved in the Gorkha media network scandal, implicating Deputy Prime Minister and Home Minister Ravi Lamichhane. Consequently, a parliamentary inquiry committee was formed to investigate 29 cooperatives, including 20 identified as problematic. Surya Thapa, chairman of the committee, stated that the cooperative issue is linked to the entire financial system and the banking sector and therefore the committee will discuss the matter with stakeholders.</span></span></span></p> <p> </p> ', 'published' => true, 'created' => '2024-07-07', 'modified' => '2024-07-07', 'keywords' => '', 'description' => '', 'sortorder' => '21181', 'image' => '20240707115721_cooperative-new.jpg', 'article_date' => '2024-07-07 11:56:35', 'homepage' => false, 'breaking_news' => false, 'main_news' => true, 'in_scroller' => null, 'user_id' => '34' ) ), (int) 5 => array( 'Article' => array( 'id' => '21453', 'article_category_id' => '1', 'title' => 'Floods Affect Electricity Generation', 'sub_title' => '', 'summary' => 'KATHMANDU: Power production plants across the country have been affected due to floods triggered by incessant rainfall. ', 'content' => '<p><span style="font-size:18px"><span style="font-family:Calibri,"sans-serif""><span style="font-family:"Arial Unicode MS","sans-serif"">KATHMANDU: Power production plants across the country have been affected due to floods triggered by incessant rainfall. As a result, power supply has been interrupted in some places. </span><br /> <span style="font-family:"Arial Unicode MS","sans-serif"">According to the Nepal Electricity Authority (NEA), power plants that produce about 640 megawatts of electricity have been shut down due to floods. </span><br /> <span style="font-family:"Arial Unicode MS","sans-serif"">Upper Tamakoshi, operated by Upper Tamakoshi Hydropower Limited, a subsidiary company of the NEA, with a capacity of 456 megawatts, has been closed since Friday evening due to flooding. </span><br /> <span style="font-family:"Arial Unicode MS","sans-serif"">Similarly, Sunkoshi Hydropower Project of 60 MW capacity and 10 MW capacity Upper Trishuli 'A' have also been closed. </span><br /> <span style="font-family:"Arial Unicode MS","sans-serif"">According to the information provided by the NEA load dispatch center, Balefi with a capacity of 36 MW, Lower Modi with a capacity of 20 MW, middle Modi with a capacity of 18 MW, and Upper Chamelia with a capacity of 40 MW have also been closed due to floods. </span><br /> <span style="font-family:"Arial Unicode MS","sans-serif"">Furthermore, some projects are running at low capacity. -- RSS</span></span></span></p> <p> </p> ', 'published' => true, 'created' => '2024-07-07', 'modified' => '2024-07-07', 'keywords' => '', 'description' => '', 'sortorder' => '21180', 'image' => '20240707105522_hydro.jpg', 'article_date' => '2024-07-07 10:54:41', 'homepage' => false, 'breaking_news' => false, 'main_news' => true, 'in_scroller' => null, 'user_id' => '34' ) ), (int) 6 => array( 'Article' => array( 'id' => '21455', 'article_category_id' => '1', 'title' => 'Flood Risks High till Today, Citizens Urged to Adopt Precautions ', 'sub_title' => '', 'summary' => 'KATHMANDU: The Flood Forecasting Division under the Department of Hydrology and Meteorology has urged the general public to adopt high security alert, stating that there is a risk of floods in different parts of the country until Sunday (today). ', 'content' => '<p><span style="font-size:18px"><span style="font-family:"Times New Roman","serif"">KATHMANDU: The Flood Forecasting Division under the Department of Hydrology and Meteorology has urged the general public to adopt high security alert, stating that there is a risk of floods in different parts of the country until Sunday (today). Due to the possibility of heavy rainfall, water levels in rivers may increase, causing a risk of flooding. </span></span></p> <p><span style="font-size:18px"><span style="font-family:"Times New Roman","serif"">The department's flood expert and hydrologist, Engineer Bijay Dhukuchu, reported that most of the small rivers flowing through Ilam, Jhapa, Morang, Lamjung, Kaski, Palpa, Nawalparasi East, and adjoining districts rose on Saturday. According to him, the flow of small rivers in Udayapur, Sindhuli, Makawanpur, Chitwan, Sindhupalchowk, Ramechhap, Achham, Doti, Kailali, and adjoining districts also increased on Saturday. </span></span></p> <p><span style="font-size:18px"><span style="font-family:"Times New Roman","serif"">"Most of the small rivers across the country are likely to see an increase in their flow on Sunday, and some small rivers in Gandaki, Lumbini, Karnali, and Sudurpaschim provinces may face flash floods," he warned.</span></span></p> <p><span style="font-size:18px"><span style="font-family:"Times New Roman","serif"">The division noted that the weather remained generally to fully cloudy throughout the country on Saturday, with light to moderate rain accompanied by thunder and lightning in many places. Heavy rainfall occurred in a few locations within Koshi, Madhes, Gandaki, Lumbini, and Sudurpaschim provinces, and in one or two places in the remaining provinces.</span></span></p> <p><span style="font-size:18px"><span style="font-family:"Times New Roman","serif"">The division urged the general public to take necessary precautions to avoid the possible risks of disasters such as landslides, floods, and soil erosion in areas prone to heavy rainfall. </span></span></p> <p><span style="font-size:18px"><span style="font-family:"Times New Roman","serif"">“These conditions may partially affect daily life, agriculture, health, tourism, mountaineering, road, and air transport in those areas," the department said in a statement.</span></span></p> <p> </p> ', 'published' => true, 'created' => '2024-07-07', 'modified' => '2024-07-07', 'keywords' => '', 'description' => '', 'sortorder' => '21179', 'image' => '20240707124644_450068615_895863605898971_6927651837151219684_n.jpg', 'article_date' => '2024-07-07 12:45:59', 'homepage' => false, 'breaking_news' => false, 'main_news' => true, 'in_scroller' => null, 'user_id' => '34' ) ), (int) 7 => array( 'Article' => array( 'id' => '21452', 'article_category_id' => '1', 'title' => 'Madhesh Province Spends Only 32% of Budget in Current Fiscal Year', 'sub_title' => '', 'summary' => 'With only a few days remaining in the current fiscal year, the Madhesh Province government has managed to spend just about one-third of its allocated budget. By end of July (mid-Asar) of the fiscal year 2080/81, the provincial government had expended only 32 percent of its total budget, according to the Ministry of Finance.', 'content' => '<p><span style="font-size:20px"><span style="font-family:Calibri,"sans-serif"">July 7: With only a few days remaining in the current fiscal year, the Madhesh Province government has managed to spend just about one-third of its allocated budget. </span></span><span style="font-size:20px"><span style="font-family:Calibri,"sans-serif"">By end of July (mid-Asar) of the fiscal year 2080/81, the provincial government had expended only 32 percent of its total budget, according to the Ministry of Finance.</span></span></p> <p><span style="font-size:20px"><span style="font-family:Calibri,"sans-serif"">The Provincial Treasury Controller Office, Madhesh, reported that out of the total budget of Rs 44.11 billion, only Rs 14.14 billion had been spent by mid-Asar. </span></span><span style="font-size:20px"><span style="font-family:Calibri,"sans-serif"">Of the Rs 18.54 billion allocated for current expenditures, only 35.55 percent has been utilized. Similarly, out of the Rs 25.57 billion allocated for capital expenditures, only 29.55 percent has been spent.</span></span></p> <p><span style="font-size:20px"><span style="font-family:Calibri,"sans-serif"">Chief Minister and other ministers have criticized the federal government for not allocating the budget proportionately to the population in Madhesh. However, the provincial government itself has failed to spend even half of its allocated budget. </span></span></p> <p><span style="font-size:20px"><span style="font-family:Calibri,"sans-serif"">Ajay Kumar Karn, Acting Secretary of the Ministry of Finance of Madhesh Province, attributed the under-expenditure to factors such as changes in coalition partners at the federal level, the necessity for the Chief Minister to seek votes of confidence repeatedly, and overall government instability.</span></span></p> <p><span style="font-size:20px"><span style="font-family:Calibri,"sans-serif"">In the previous fiscal year 2079/80, the province had a budget of Rs 47.02 billion, out of which Rs 27.33 billion was spent. In the fiscal year 2078/79, half of the budget was frozen, with only Rs 17.76 billion spent out of a budget of Rs 34.88 billion.</span></span></p> <p> </p> ', 'published' => true, 'created' => '2024-07-07', 'modified' => '2024-07-07', 'keywords' => '', 'description' => '', 'sortorder' => '21178', 'image' => '20240707063009_collage (58).jpg', 'article_date' => '2024-07-07 06:28:22', 'homepage' => false, 'breaking_news' => false, 'main_news' => true, 'in_scroller' => null, 'user_id' => '42' ) ), (int) 8 => array( 'Article' => array( 'id' => '21449', 'article_category_id' => '1', 'title' => 'Shyam Badan Shrestha Conferred Lifetime Achievement in Women Entrepreneurship Award', 'sub_title' => '', 'summary' => 'KATHMANDU: Shyam Badan Shrestha, who was conferred the Lifetime Achievement in Women Entrepreneurship Award during the NewBiz Business Women Summit and Awards 2024 on Friday, is an established name in the Nepali handicraft industry. ', 'content' => '<p><span style="font-size:18px"><span style="font-family:"Times New Roman","serif"">KATHMANDU: Shyam Badan Shrestha, who was conferred the Lifetime Achievement in Women Entrepreneurship Award during the NewBiz Business Women Summit and Awards 2024 on Friday, is an established name in the Nepali handicraft industry. She started handicraft production with her mother at the age of eight.</span></span></p> <p><span style="font-size:18px"><span style="font-family:"Times New Roman","serif"">Having lost her father before she was born, Shrestha learned to fight from an early age. Despite having no money to install electricity in their home, she would wake up at 2 am to make various handicraft products with her mother using oil lamps. This perseverance allowed her to pay for her schooling expenses. She used her experiences of struggle as a springboard to success, eventually completing her master's degree in Nepali Language and Literature from Tribhuvan University.</span></span></p> <p><span style="font-size:18px"><span style="font-family:"Times New Roman","serif"">After spending 13 years in the teaching profession, Shrestha founded Nepal Knotcraft Center with an investment of Rs 200 around 40 years ago, intending to financially empower other women like her. The awards citation handed to her during the ceremony described her as a beacon of perseverance, resilience, and innovation, inspiring generations of women entrepreneurs.</span></span></p> <p><span style="font-size:18px"><span style="font-family:"Times New Roman","serif"">Shrestha has given hope to many, showing that even a business with a small investment can bring future success. Her business, which now employs 300 women, has an annual turnover of up to Rs 10 million.</span></span></p> <p><span style="font-size:18px"><span style="font-family:"Times New Roman","serif"">In the early days of her entrepreneurship, she produced handicrafts from raw materials found in the Kathmandu Valley. Later, she visited about 65 districts to research indigenous raw materials in Nepal. She identified 45 types of fibrous plants, including allo, cardamom, corn husk, bamboo, straw, cane, and nigalo which could be used for producing handicraft products.</span></span></p> <p><span style="font-size:18px"><span style="font-family:"Times New Roman","serif"">Shrestha won the World Craft Council Award of Excellence for Handicraft in 2018 for producing handicraft materials made from fibrous plants. In the same year, she also won first prize in the SAARC Women Entrepreneurship Competition.</span></span></p> <p><span style="font-size:18px"><span style="font-family:"Times New Roman","serif"">The goods produced by her industry, located in the Patan industrial area, are currently being exported to Europe, America, Japan, and other countries, and are also sold in the domestic market. She emphasizes the use of Nepali raw materials to protect endangered Nepali handicrafts.</span></span></p> <p> </p> ', 'published' => true, 'created' => '2024-07-06', 'modified' => '2024-07-06', 'keywords' => '', 'description' => '', 'sortorder' => '21177', 'image' => '20240706105511_449069362_8664980046852504_8808563333510855685_n.jpg', 'article_date' => '2024-07-06 10:53:29', 'homepage' => false, 'breaking_news' => false, 'main_news' => true, 'in_scroller' => null, 'user_id' => '34' ) ), (int) 9 => array( 'Article' => array( 'id' => '21450', 'article_category_id' => '1', 'title' => 'Rainfall Taking Place All Over the Country ', 'sub_title' => '', 'summary' => 'KATHMANDU: The country is experiencing rainfall due to the influence of monsoon winds today (Saturday).', 'content' => '<p><span style="font-size:11pt"><span style="font-family:Calibri,"sans-serif""><span style="font-family:"Arial Unicode MS","sans-serif"">KATHMANDU: The country is experiencing rainfall due to the influence of monsoon winds today (Saturday). Most of the places in Bagmati, Gandaki and Lumbini provinces are receiving light to moderate rain, while rainfall is taking place in some places of the rest of the country. </span><br /> <span style="font-family:"Arial Unicode MS","sans-serif"">According to the Department of Hydrology and Meteorology, there will be light to moderate rain in many places of all the provinces on Saturday afternoon, with possibility of heavy rain at a few places in Bagmati, Gandaki and Lumbini provinces. </span><br /> <span style="font-family:"Arial Unicode MS","sans-serif"">Later tonight, the weather will be generally to completely cloudy across the country, with a possibility of light to moderate rain with thunder and lightning at some places in Koshi and Madhesh provinces and many places in the remaining provinces. </span></span></span></p> <p><span style="font-size:11pt"><span style="font-family:Calibri,"sans-serif""><span style="font-family:"Arial Unicode MS","sans-serif"">Heavy rain is likely in few places of Koshi, Bagmati, Gandaki, Lumbini, Karnali and Sudurpaschim provinces and one or two places of Madhesh province. -- RSS </span></span></span></p> <p> </p> ', 'published' => true, 'created' => '2024-07-06', 'modified' => '2024-07-06', 'keywords' => '', 'description' => '', 'sortorder' => '21176', 'image' => '20240706111626_20230904111644_rain (1).jpeg', 'article_date' => '2024-07-06 11:15:27', 'homepage' => false, 'breaking_news' => false, 'main_news' => true, 'in_scroller' => null, 'user_id' => '34' ) ), (int) 10 => array( 'Article' => array( 'id' => '21451', 'article_category_id' => '1', 'title' => 'Website of Chief Minister's Office Hacked ', 'sub_title' => '', 'summary' => 'DHANGADHI: The website of the Office of the Chief Minister and Council of Ministers in Sudurpaschim Province was hacked on Friday. ', 'content' => '<p><span style="font-size:18px"><span style="font-family:Calibri,"sans-serif""><span style="font-family:"Arial Unicode MS","sans-serif"">DHANGADHI: The website of the Office of the Chief Minister and Council of Ministers in Sudurpaschim Province was hacked on Friday. </span><br /> <span style="font-family:"Arial Unicode MS","sans-serif"">Information Officer at the Office, Jagadish Prasad Joshi, shared that they informed the Department of Information Technology, Kathmandu, soon after learning that the website was hacked. Efforts were on to recover the site. </span><br /> <span style="font-family:"Arial Unicode MS","sans-serif"">While opening the website, it read the portal was hacked by Cookies called Captain Smoker 3R, he added. The office portal has not been restored as of Saturday morning. -- RSS</span></span></span></p> <p> </p> ', 'published' => true, 'created' => '2024-07-06', 'modified' => '2024-07-06', 'keywords' => '', 'description' => '', 'sortorder' => '21175', 'image' => '20240706112024_20190412060905_3.jpg', 'article_date' => '2024-07-06 11:19:39', 'homepage' => false, 'breaking_news' => false, 'main_news' => true, 'in_scroller' => null, 'user_id' => '34' ) ), (int) 11 => array( 'Article' => array( 'id' => '21448', 'article_category_id' => '1', 'title' => 'NewBiz Business Women Summit and Awards 2024 Concludes', 'sub_title' => '', 'summary' => 'KATHMANDU: Mausumi Shrestha of Shree Kishan Innovation Hub has been declared as the 'The Best Woman Entrepreneur' during the NewBiz Business Women Summit and Awards 2024 on Friday. ', 'content' => '<p><span style="font-size:18px"><span style="font-family:"Times New Roman","serif""><span style="font-family:"Calibri","sans-serif"">KATHMANDU: The NewBiz Business Women Summit and Awards 2024 concluded on Friday, honouring 12 women entrepreneurs in recognition of their contributions to the development of entrepteneurship.</span></span></span></p> <p><span style="font-size:18px"><span style="font-family:"Times New Roman","serif""><span style="font-family:"Calibri","sans-serif"">Mausumi Shrestha of Shree Kishan Innovation Hub was declared as the 'The Best Woman Entrepreneur' during the awards ceremony held in the capital on Friday. She was awarded for her contribution in establishing the Shreenagar Agro Group which helps farmers produce crop with modern technology.</span></span></span></p> <p><span style="font-size:18px"><span style="font-family:"Times New Roman","serif""><span style="font-family:"Calibri","sans-serif"">The Lifetime Achievement Award in Women Entrepreneurship was conferred to Shyam Badan Shrestha of Nepal Knotcraft Centre Pvt Ltd for her immense contribution to the field of entrepreneurship.</span></span></span></p> <p><span style="font-size:18px"><span style="font-family:"Times New Roman","serif""><span style="font-family:"Calibri","sans-serif"">Other winners include Rita Pokharel, Director of InDrive, who received the award in the 'Professional Woman of Excellence' category.</span></span></span></p> <p><span style="font-size:18px"><span style="font-family:"Times New Roman","serif""><span style="font-family:"Calibri","sans-serif"">Similarly, Vedika Murarka, co-founder of Educase, won the 'Pioneer Social Entrepreneur of the Year' award, and Sonika Manandhar, co-founder of Aloi, received the 'Women in Tech' award.</span></span></span></p> <p><span style="font-size:18px"><span style="font-family:"Times New Roman","serif""><span style="font-family:"Calibri","sans-serif"">Additionally, in the 'Emerging Enterprising Woman of the Year' category, one recipient from each of the seven provinces was honored with an award and cash Rs 51,000 each. The 'Emerging Enterprising Woman of the Year' award recipients include Maya Gurung of the sandalwood industry in Taplejung, Koshi Province; Sunaina Thakur of Sunaina Artski in Dhanusha, Madhesh Province; Sapna Sapkota of Bella Kasa in Bagmati Province; Geeta Nath of Karnali Garment Industry in Kaski, Gandaki Province; Geeta Kumari Koiri Maurya of Banke Poultry Farm in Banke, Lumbini Province; Bhumisara Tomta of Shramjivi Masala Udyog in Surkhet, Karnali Province; and Savitri Ojha of Green Mountain Agricultural Development Firm in Dadeldhura, Sudurpaschim Province</span></span></span></p> <p><span style="font-size:18px"><span style="font-family:"Times New Roman","serif""><span style="font-family:"Calibri","sans-serif"">New Business Age has been organising this annual event since 2021 to encourage women entrepreneurs and recognize their contributions.</span></span></span></p> <p><span style="font-size:18px"><span style="font-family:"Times New Roman","serif""><span style="font-family:"Calibri","sans-serif"">An independent jury had selected the best women entrepreneurs across various categories for the awards. </span></span></span></p> <p><span style="font-size:18px"><span style="font-family:"Times New Roman","serif""><span style="font-family:"Calibri","sans-serif"">Nepal Rastra Bank’s Governor Maha Prasad Adhikari was the chief guest for the first half of the awards ceremony while Supreme Court Justice Sapana Pradhan Malla was the chief guest for the second half.</span></span></span></p> <p><span style="font-size:18px"><span style="font-family:"Times New Roman","serif""><span style="font-family:"Calibri","sans-serif"">New Business Age has been organizing this award since 2021 to encourage women entrepreneurs and recognize their contributions to society.</span></span></span></p> <p> </p> <p> </p> ', 'published' => true, 'created' => '2024-07-05', 'modified' => '2024-07-06', 'keywords' => '', 'description' => '', 'sortorder' => '21174', 'image' => '20240705073909_449375706_820201803149924_8755746597775457538_n.jpg', 'article_date' => '2024-07-05 19:38:36', 'homepage' => false, 'breaking_news' => false, 'main_news' => true, 'in_scroller' => false, 'user_id' => '34' ) ), (int) 12 => array( 'Article' => array( 'id' => '21447', 'article_category_id' => '1', 'title' => 'Entrepreneurship Leads to Women Empowerment: Justice Malla', 'sub_title' => '', 'summary' => 'Supreme Court Justice Sapana Pradhan Malla said that entrepreneurship would lead to women empowerment and independence.', 'content' => '<p><span style="font-size:20px"><span style="font-family:"Times New Roman","serif"">July 5: Supreme Court Justice Sapana Pradhan Malla said that entrepreneurship would lead to women empowerment and independence. </span></span></p> <p><span style="font-size:20px"><span style="font-family:"Times New Roman","serif"">Addressing NEWBIZ Business Women Summit and Awards 2024 in Kathmandu, Justice Malla thanked NBA for initiating the award ceremony. “I am deeply inspired by all women entrepreneurs hounoured today. The winners not only represent themselves but also women across the entire country. They have shown that women can achieve remarkable feats,” she added. </span></span></p> <p><span style="font-size:20px"><span style="font-family:"Times New Roman","serif"">Sharing how Pakistani people were amazed by Nepali women driving the tempos, Malla added that women have held the important positions such as President Chief Justice and other important posts in the country. </span></span></p> <p><span style="font-size:20px"><span style="font-family:"Times New Roman","serif"">Malla recalled her advocacy for women’s empowerment through the women’s ownership into property. “Women now own 37% of the land, with laws and regulations offering discounts on property tax,” she said. </span></span></p> <p><span style="font-size:20px"><span style="font-family:"Times New Roman","serif"">Malla said that despite various women friendly laws they have not come into implementation due to unawareness of the regulations. </span></span></p> <p><span style="font-size:20px"><span style="font-family:"Times New Roman","serif"">Malla, however, said that traditional mindset, feelings of inferiority, and the confinement to domestic roles are still posing challenges to the women. </span></span><span style="font-size:20px"><span style="font-family:"Times New Roman","serif"">She urged the women to participate in non-stereotypical entrepreneurship. She also stressed that awards would give recognition and validation to their works.</span></span></p> <p> </p> ', 'published' => true, 'created' => '2024-07-05', 'modified' => '2024-07-05', 'keywords' => '', 'description' => '', 'sortorder' => '21173', 'image' => '20240705071047_collage (57).jpg', 'article_date' => '2024-07-05 19:08:57', 'homepage' => false, 'breaking_news' => false, 'main_news' => true, 'in_scroller' => null, 'user_id' => '42' ) ), (int) 13 => array( 'Article' => array( 'id' => '21446', 'article_category_id' => '1', 'title' => 'Women Entrepreneurs Face More Challenges than Men: Stakeholders', 'sub_title' => '', 'summary' => 'KATHMANDU: Stakeholders at the New Business Women Summit and Awards 2024, organized by New Business Age Pvt Ltd, highlighted that women entrepreneurs face more challenges than their male counterparts.', 'content' => '<p><span style="font-size:11pt"><span style="font-family:Calibri,"sans-serif""><strong><span style="font-size:12.0pt"><span style="font-family:"Times New Roman","serif"">KATHMANDU:</span></span></strong><span style="font-size:12.0pt"><span style="font-family:"Times New Roman","serif""> Stakeholders at the New Business Women Summit and Awards 2024, organized by New Business Age Pvt Ltd, highlighted that women entrepreneurs face more challenges than their male counterparts.</span></span></span></span></p> <p><span style="font-size:11pt"><span style="font-family:Calibri,"sans-serif""><span style="font-size:12.0pt"><span style="font-family:"Times New Roman","serif"">During the event, Padmakshi Rana, Executive Director of Impact Hub Kathmandu and a speaker in the panel discussion on 'Strengthening Women's Business Leadership,' pointed out that women face significant hurdles, especially in gaining financial access. </span></span></span></span></p> <p><span style="font-size:11pt"><span style="font-family:Calibri,"sans-serif""><span style="font-size:12.0pt"><span style="font-family:"Times New Roman","serif"">"The biggest problem women entrepreneurs face is financial access," she said. "Challenges begin right from the creation of a business plan." Rana also mentioned generational and gender-related issues, such as difficulties with documentation, registration, and communication.</span></span></span></span></p> <p><span style="font-size:11pt"><span style="font-family:Calibri,"sans-serif""><span style="font-size:12.0pt"><span style="font-family:"Times New Roman","serif"">Swastika Shrestha, CEO of Teach for Nepal, shared insights from her 12 years of experience in the education sector. She noted that there has been no significant improvement in SLC results over the years, with around 60 percent of students failing in the past and 80 percent of students still attending public schools, a large number of whom are girls.</span></span></span></span></p> <p><span style="font-size:11pt"><span style="font-family:Calibri,"sans-serif""><span style="font-size:12.0pt"><span style="font-family:"Times New Roman","serif"">"In our society, sons receive institutional education while daughters are given formal education," Shrestha said. "This disparity lowers the morale of girls in public schools, affecting their personality and leadership development, and limiting their potential to become entrepreneurs or leaders." She emphasized the need for educational reforms and improved family financial conditions to support women's entrepreneurial efforts.</span></span></span></span></p> <p><span style="font-size:11pt"><span style="font-family:Calibri,"sans-serif""><span style="font-size:12.0pt"><span style="font-family:"Times New Roman","serif"">Mahesh Bhattarai, Joint Secretary and Chief of the Economic Management Division of the National Planning Commission, stated that Nepal's constitution provides a foundation for women's empowerment by ensuring equality and special rights. He noted that Nepal's periodic plans contribute to women's capacity development and empowerment.</span></span></span></span></p> <p><span style="font-size:11pt"><span style="font-family:Calibri,"sans-serif""><span style="font-size:12.0pt"><span style="font-family:"Times New Roman","serif""> "We must work together to advance women's capacity development and empowerment," Bhattarai said. He highlighted ongoing preparations for the implementation of the 16th Plan, focusing on prioritizing women's issues across all development sectors. Bhattarai also mentioned the government's efforts in providing tax concessions, budget allocations, and business facilitation, emphasizing the need for these initiatives to be implemented effectively.</span></span></span></span></p> <p><span style="font-size:11pt"><span style="font-family:Calibri,"sans-serif""><span style="font-size:12.0pt"><span style="font-family:"Times New Roman","serif"">Samanata Thapa, Co-founder and Program Head of Startup Discovery Asia, facilitated the panel discussion.</span></span></span></span></p> <p><span style="font-size:11pt"><span style="font-family:Calibri,"sans-serif""><span style="font-size:12.0pt"><span style="font-family:"Times New Roman","serif"">The New Business Women Summit and Awards 2024 brought together stakeholders to discuss and address the unique challenges faced by women entrepreneurs, emphasizing the importance of collective efforts in fostering an inclusive and supportive entrepreneurial environment.</span></span></span></span></p> <p> </p> ', 'published' => true, 'created' => '2024-07-05', 'modified' => '2024-07-05', 'keywords' => '', 'description' => '', 'sortorder' => '21172', 'image' => '20240705064438_22101dbe.jpeg', 'article_date' => '2024-07-05 18:44:19', 'homepage' => false, 'breaking_news' => false, 'main_news' => true, 'in_scroller' => null, 'user_id' => '34' ) ), (int) 14 => array( 'Article' => array( 'id' => '21445', 'article_category_id' => '1', 'title' => 'Women Entrepreneurs Have Made Country Proud, Says NRB Governor', 'sub_title' => '', 'summary' => 'Maha Prasad Adhikari, Governor of Nepal Rastra Bank said that Nepal should highlight women entrepreneurs as their entrepreneurship has made the country proud in the international community. ', 'content' => '<p><span style="font-size:20px">July 5: Maha Prasad Adhikari, Governor of Nepal Rastra Bank said that Nepal should highlight women entrepreneurs as their entrepreneurship has made the country proud in the international community. </span></p> <p><span style="font-size:20px">Speaking at the NEWBIZ Business Women Summit and Awards 2024, Governor Adhikari expressed his gratitude and congratulations for organizing programs focused on women's empowerment and entrepreneurship. </span></p> <p><span style="font-size:20px">Adhikari highlighted significant improvements in the gender gap, noting a 6% increase in women's inclusion in banking, according to the latest NRB report.</span></p> <p><span style="font-size:20px">Adhikari revealed that 126,000 people have taken concessional loans from banks, with 75,000 of them being women, who have collectively borrowed Rs 43 billion. </span></p> <p><span style="font-size:20px">He urged bankers to support women entrepreneurs. "If any woman is interested in starting a business, do support them making the access to loan easy and simple," he emphasized.</span></p> <p><span style="font-size:20px">The Governor also addressed concerns regarding the misuse of concessional loans provided to women entrepreneurs. He stressed that as long as the loans achieve their intended objectives, their use should not be misinterpreted. </span></p> <p><span style="font-size:20px">Adhikari also encouraged borrowers to develop sustainable business models, noting that subsidies will not last forever. "Nepali women entrepreneurs can compete with any women in the world as they have successfully run hotels and agro farms," Adhikari added.</span></p> <p><span style="font-size:20px">Governor also invited suggestions as the NRB is preparing for its new monetary policy, aiming to further support and enhance women's roles in the economy.</span></p> <p><span style="font-size:20px">Similarly, Chief Executive Officer of Standard Chartered Bank Nepal Limited Anirvan Ghosh Dastidar thanked New Business Age for the organization of the programme focused on women. “We thank the NBA for conducting programs that support women's entrepreneurship, leadership, and empowerment,” said Dastidar. </span></p> <p><span style="font-size:20px">He joyfully reminded the unique initiative where the Japanese Yen is made from Nepali paper, with the majority of the workforce being women. Appreciating the 16th national plan focusing on gender equality, he shared "Our association with NBA is strengthened by our Global Connect Program. </span></p> ', 'published' => true, 'created' => '2024-07-05', 'modified' => '2024-07-05', 'keywords' => '', 'description' => '', 'sortorder' => '21171', 'image' => '20240705060952_collage (56).jpg', 'article_date' => '2024-07-05 18:04:59', 'homepage' => false, 'breaking_news' => false, 'main_news' => true, 'in_scroller' => false, 'user_id' => '42' ) ) ) $current_user = null $logged_in = false $xml = falseinclude - APP/View/Elements/side_bar.ctp, line 133 View::_evaluate() - CORE/Cake/View/View.php, line 971 View::_render() - CORE/Cake/View/View.php, line 933 View::_renderElement() - CORE/Cake/View/View.php, line 1224 View::element() - CORE/Cake/View/View.php, line 418 include - APP/View/Articles/index.ctp, line 157 View::_evaluate() - CORE/Cake/View/View.php, line 971 View::_render() - CORE/Cake/View/View.php, line 933 View::render() - CORE/Cake/View/View.php, line 473 Controller::render() - CORE/Cake/Controller/Controller.php, line 968 Dispatcher::_invoke() - CORE/Cake/Routing/Dispatcher.php, line 200 Dispatcher::dispatch() - CORE/Cake/Routing/Dispatcher.php, line 167 [main] - APP/webroot/index.php, line 117
Warning (2): simplexml_load_file() [<a href='http://php.net/function.simplexml-load-file'>function.simplexml-load-file</a>]: I/O warning : failed to load external entity "" [APP/View/Elements/side_bar.ctp, line 133]file not found!Code Context// $file = 'http://aabhiyan:QUVLg8Wzs2F7G9N7@nepalstock.com.np/api/subindexdata.xml';if(!$xml = simplexml_load_file($file)){$viewFile = '/var/www/html/newbusinessage.com/app/View/Elements/side_bar.ctp' $dataForView = array( 'articles' => array( (int) 0 => array( 'Article' => array( [maximum depth reached] ) ), (int) 1 => array( 'Article' => array( [maximum depth reached] ) ), (int) 2 => array( 'Article' => array( [maximum depth reached] ) ), (int) 3 => array( 'Article' => array( [maximum depth reached] ) ), (int) 4 => array( 'Article' => array( [maximum depth reached] ) ), (int) 5 => array( 'Article' => array( [maximum depth reached] ) ), (int) 6 => array( 'Article' => array( [maximum depth reached] ) ), (int) 7 => array( 'Article' => array( [maximum depth reached] ) ), (int) 8 => array( 'Article' => array( [maximum depth reached] ) ), (int) 9 => array( 'Article' => array( [maximum depth reached] ) ), (int) 10 => array( 'Article' => array( [maximum depth reached] ) ), (int) 11 => array( 'Article' => array( [maximum depth reached] ) ), (int) 12 => array( 'Article' => array( [maximum depth reached] ) ), (int) 13 => array( 'Article' => array( [maximum depth reached] ) ), (int) 14 => array( 'Article' => array( [maximum depth reached] ) ) ), 'current_user' => null, 'logged_in' => false ) $articles = array( (int) 0 => array( 'Article' => array( 'id' => '21457', 'article_category_id' => '1', 'title' => 'Global Cereal Output Expected to Hit All-Time High in 2024', 'sub_title' => '', 'summary' => 'ROME: The Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations (FAO) has updated its forecast for global cereal production in 2024, now predicting it will reach 2,854 million tonnes, setting a new all-time high.', 'content' => '<p><span style="font-size:11pt"><span style="font-family:Calibri,"sans-serif""><span style="font-size:12.0pt"><span style="font-family:"Times New Roman","serif"">ROME: The Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations (FAO) has updated its forecast for global cereal production in 2024, now predicting it will reach 2,854 million tonnes, setting a new all-time high.</span></span></span></span></p> <p><span style="font-size:11pt"><span style="font-family:Calibri,"sans-serif""><span style="font-size:12.0pt"><span style="font-family:"Times New Roman","serif"">In its Cereal Supply and Demand Brief issued on Friday, the FAO attributed the increased projections to a better harvest outlook for maize in Argentina, Brazil, Türkiye, and Ukraine. These improvements are expected to offset downgrades in the outlook for Indonesia, Pakistan, and several Southern African countries. The wheat production forecast has also been raised due to better prospects in Asia, notably Pakistan, which should compensate for an expected decline in the Russian Federation caused by inclement weather in major wheat-producing areas earlier in the season.</span></span></span></span></p> <p><span style="font-size:11pt"><span style="font-family:Calibri,"sans-serif""><span style="font-size:12.0pt"><span style="font-family:"Times New Roman","serif"">Global rice production is projected to reach a record 535.1 million tonnes.</span></span></span></span></p> <p><span style="font-size:11pt"><span style="font-family:Calibri,"sans-serif""><span style="font-size:12.0pt"><span style="font-family:"Times New Roman","serif"">World cereal total utilization in 2024/25 is forecast to rise to 2,856 million tonnes, up 0.5 percent from the previous year, driven by increases in rice and coarse grains.</span></span></span></span></p> <p><span style="font-size:11pt"><span style="font-family:Calibri,"sans-serif""><span style="font-size:12.0pt"><span style="font-family:"Times New Roman","serif"">Global cereal stocks are forecast to expand by 1.3 percent in 2025, leaving the global cereal stocks-to-use ratio in 2024/25 nearly unchanged at 30.8 percent.</span></span></span></span></p> <p><span style="font-size:11pt"><span style="font-family:Calibri,"sans-serif""><span style="font-size:12.0pt"><span style="font-family:"Times New Roman","serif"">The FAO's forecast for international trade in total cereals remains unchanged at 481 million tonnes, representing a 3.0 percent decline from 2023/24. – ANI/RSS</span></span></span></span></p> <p> </p> ', 'published' => true, 'created' => '2024-07-07', 'modified' => '2024-07-07', 'keywords' => '', 'description' => '', 'sortorder' => '21185', 'image' => '20240707024016_cereal.jpg', 'article_date' => '2024-07-07 14:39:47', 'homepage' => false, 'breaking_news' => false, 'main_news' => true, 'in_scroller' => null, 'user_id' => '34' ) ), (int) 1 => array( 'Article' => array( 'id' => '21458', 'article_category_id' => '1', 'title' => 'Recent Floods and Landslides Claim 14 Lives', 'sub_title' => '', 'summary' => 'KATHMANDU: A total of 14 people have lost their lives due to disasters triggered by incessant monsoon rains in various parts of the country since Friday night. ', 'content' => '<p><span style="font-size:18px"><span style="font-family:Calibri,"sans-serif""><span style="font-family:"Times New Roman","serif"">KATHMANDU: A total of 14 people have lost their lives due to disasters triggered by incessant monsoon rains in various parts of the country since Friday night. Additionally, three people have gone missing due to landslides, flooding, and inundations. According to Police Spokesperson and Deputy Inspector General of Police, Dan Bahadur Karki, 18 people have been injured in these incidents.</span></span></span></p> <p><span style="font-size:18px"><span style="font-family:Calibri,"sans-serif""><span style="font-family:"Times New Roman","serif"">Of the 14 casualties, one was reported in Kathmandu, three in Syangja, two in Parbat, one in Udayapur, two in Kavrepalanchowk, one in Palpa, three in Tanahu, and one in Dang. </span></span></span></p> <p><span style="font-size:18px"><span style="font-family:Calibri,"sans-serif""><span style="font-family:"Times New Roman","serif"">Manoj BK from Lakhan Thapa rural municipality-6 in Gorkha was killed in a landslide in Nagarjun municipality-3 in Kathmandu. Other fatalities due to landslides include Raj Rai from Rautamai rural municipality-5 in Udayapur, and Jalamaya Rujal Magar and Setimaya Rujal from Roshi rural municipality-11 in Kavrepalanchowk.</span></span></span></p> <p><span style="font-size:18px"><span style="font-family:Calibri,"sans-serif""><span style="font-family:"Times New Roman","serif"">Other casualties from landslides include Hira Nepal, Anisha Bastola, and Shyam Bhandari from Shuklagandaki municipality-7 in Tanahu, and Guweshori Sharma Marasini, Madhav Sharma, and Harimaya Sharma from Biruwa rural municipality-6 in Syangja, according to the police.</span></span></span></p> <p><span style="font-size:18px"><span style="font-family:Calibri,"sans-serif""><span style="font-family:"Times New Roman","serif"">The Police Headquarters in Naxal reported that Jhalak Prasad Sharma and Tulsi Prasad Sharma of Phalebas municipality-1 in Parbat, Rima Saraha Ranamgar of Mathagadhi rural municipality-6 in Palpa, and Maniam Chaudhary of Bagrapur in Lamahi municipality-8 of Dang were also killed in landslides.</span></span></span></p> <p><span style="font-size:18px"><span style="font-family:Calibri,"sans-serif""><span style="font-family:"Times New Roman","serif"">Additionally, Jangmu Sherpa of Dolakha Gaurishankar rural municipality-9, Rajkumar Yadav of Rajpur rural municipality-2 in Dang, and Khem Kumari Mall of Syangja Bhirkot municipality-5 Jyamire are among those who missing in flooding and landslide incidents.</span></span></span></p> <p><span style="font-size:18px"><span style="font-family:Calibri,"sans-serif""><span style="font-family:"Times New Roman","serif"">Police reported that five people have been injured in Tanahu, one in Gulmi, two in Okhaldhunga, three in Kathmandu, one in Chitwan, and six in Syangja.</span></span></span></p> <p><span style="font-size:18px"><span style="font-family:Calibri,"sans-serif""><span style="font-family:"Times New Roman","serif"">The heavy rains have affected life across the country, with water levels rising in major rivers, including Koshi and Narayani. Police continue to patrol and monitor the banks of rivers and streams in Kathmandu Valley. Central Police Spokesperson Karki mentioned that the water level in the rivers within the Valley has increased due to the continuous rainfall.</span></span></span></p> <p><span style="font-size:18px"><span style="font-family:Calibri,"sans-serif""><span style="font-family:"Times New Roman","serif"">Security personnel from all three security agencies have been mobilized in the affected areas and remain on high alert, according to the Police Headquarters. -- RSS</span></span></span></p> <p> </p> ', 'published' => true, 'created' => '2024-07-07', 'modified' => '2024-07-07', 'keywords' => '', 'description' => '', 'sortorder' => '21184', 'image' => '20240707025512_NabinLamichhane_RSS_22_IMG-20240706-WA0008.jpg', 'article_date' => '2024-07-07 14:54:28', 'homepage' => false, 'breaking_news' => false, 'main_news' => true, 'in_scroller' => null, 'user_id' => '34' ) ), (int) 2 => array( 'Article' => array( 'id' => '21459', 'article_category_id' => '1', 'title' => 'All 56 Sluice Gates of Saptakoshi Opened ', 'sub_title' => '', 'summary' => 'DHARAN: The water level in the Saptakoshi River has continued to rise with incessant rainfall for the past few days, prompting the local administration to open all 56 sluice gates of the Koshi barrage. ', 'content' => '<p><span style="font-size:11pt"><span style="font-family:Calibri,"sans-serif""><span style="font-family:"Arial Unicode MS","sans-serif"">DHARAN: The water level in the Saptakoshi River has continued to rise with incessant rainfall for the past few days, prompting the local administration to open all 56 sluice gates of the Koshi barrage. </span><br /> <span style="font-family:"Arial Unicode MS","sans-serif"">According to Chief District Officer of Sunsari, Ramchandra Tiwari, the flow of water in the river has been measured at 368,000 cusecs per hour at the Koshi Barrage. The monitoring of the flow of water from the official level has been continued. Red lights are on to indicate the highest danger level from the river. </span><br /> <span style="font-family:"Arial Unicode MS","sans-serif"">According to the Saptakoshi Water Measurement Center, the flow of water in the river has exceeded the warning levels. The swollen river is likely to gush into some areas in Udayapur and Sunsari. CDO Tiwari has requested the residents living near the Saptakoshi river banks to stay alert and safe. -- RSS </span><br /> </span></span></p> <p> </p> ', 'published' => true, 'created' => '2024-07-07', 'modified' => '2024-07-07', 'keywords' => '', 'description' => '', 'sortorder' => '21183', 'image' => '20240707025826_AKY_Rajbiraj-1720295021148.jpg', 'article_date' => '2024-07-07 14:57:52', 'homepage' => false, 'breaking_news' => false, 'main_news' => true, 'in_scroller' => null, 'user_id' => '34' ) ), (int) 3 => array( 'Article' => array( 'id' => '21456', 'article_category_id' => '1', 'title' => 'Agricultural Loan Subsidies have not been Misused: NRB Governor', 'sub_title' => '', 'summary' => 'KATHMANDU: Governor of Nepal Rastra Bank (NRB), Maha Prasad Adhikari, has clarified that the interest subsidy provided for commercial agricultural loans has not been misused. ', 'content' => '<p><span style="font-size:11pt"><span style="font-family:Calibri,"sans-serif""><span style="font-size:12.0pt"><span style="font-family:"Times New Roman","serif"">KATHMANDU: Governor of Nepal Rastra Bank (NRB), Maha Prasad Adhikari, has clarified that the interest subsidy provided for commercial agricultural loans has not been misused. Speaking at the 23rd anniversary of Sana Kisan Bikas Laghubitta Bittiyasanstha Ltd (SKBBL), the NRB governor stated that an analysis of the subsidies given so far revealed no discrepancy. He mentioned that the process of recovering misused subsidies by a few individuals has already started.</span></span></span></span></p> <p><span style="font-size:11pt"><span style="font-family:Calibri,"sans-serif""><span style="font-size:12.0pt"><span style="font-family:"Times New Roman","serif"">“Misuse of agricultural loan subsidy is a superficial matter. This program has been successful, and the effectiveness of the grant is good. The process of recovering misused subsidies is ongoing,” Adhikari said.</span></span></span></span></p> <p><span style="font-size:11pt"><span style="font-family:Calibri,"sans-serif""><span style="font-size:12.0pt"><span style="font-family:"Times New Roman","serif"">He claimed that the Ministry of Finance, following the government's plan, prepared the procedures for providing interest subsidies to youth in commercial agricultural loans, and the subsidies were distributed accordingly. Adhikari highlighted that 126,000 borrowers have received subsidies for agricultural loans, with most beneficiaries being women and small farmers. However, he clarified that the grants have been halted since September 2022 due to controversies.</span></span></span></span></p> <p><span style="font-size:11pt"><span style="font-family:Calibri,"sans-serif""><span style="font-size:12.0pt"><span style="font-family:"Times New Roman","serif"">Governor Adhikari emphasized the important role of small farmer development microfinance and small farmer cooperatives in entrepreneurship development, job creation, and expanding financial access and literacy. He noted that while problems have emerged in the cooperative sector recently, such issues have not affected small farmer cooperatives. The governor also mentioned that agricultural work, previously looked down upon, is now respected.</span></span></span></span></p> <p><span style="font-size:11pt"><span style="font-family:Calibri,"sans-serif""><span style="font-size:12.0pt"><span style="font-family:"Times New Roman","serif"">Former Governor of NRB, Dipendra Bahadur Chhetri, expressed the view that the subsidies given for agricultural loans had been misused. He argued that political instability has lowered the morale of the private sector, making them reluctant to invest.</span></span></span></span></p> <p><span style="font-size:11pt"><span style="font-family:Calibri,"sans-serif""><span style="font-size:12.0pt"><span style="font-family:"Times New Roman","serif"">Chief Executive Officer of SKBBL, Shivaram Prasad Koirala, highlighted the organization's role in youth entrepreneurship development and expanding inclusive financial access through simple loan provisions. He stated that microfinance loans through small farmer agricultural cooperatives have contributed to domestic production by developing entrepreneurship and creating jobs. Koirala informed that SKBBL's services have reached 550 local levels across the country, benefiting more than 1.1 million families and serving a population of 4.5 million.</span></span></span></span></p> <p><span style="font-size:11pt"><span style="font-family:Calibri,"sans-serif""><span style="font-size:12.0pt"><span style="font-family:"Times New Roman","serif"">Koirala also mentioned that youths sent to Israel to learn agricultural technology have returned to Nepal and engaged in agricultural work. The Council for Technical Education and Vocational Training (CTEVT) provided scholarships to students studying agriculture and veterinary science, and farmers participated in various activities, including observation visits to different countries like India.</span></span></span></span></p> <p><span style="font-size:11pt"><span style="font-family:Calibri,"sans-serif""><span style="font-size:12.0pt"><span style="font-family:"Times New Roman","serif"">Additionally, Koirala stated that SKBBL took a loan from the Asian Development Bank to operate the Rural Enterprise Financing Project (REFP). He claimed that SKBBL has effectively provided simple and easy loans to small farmers, poor and backward communities, women, and marginalized groups.</span></span></span></span></p> <p> </p> ', 'published' => true, 'created' => '2024-07-07', 'modified' => '2024-07-07', 'keywords' => '', 'description' => '', 'sortorder' => '21182', 'image' => '20240707011950_20230815040326_agri maize.jpg', 'article_date' => '2024-07-07 13:18:59', 'homepage' => false, 'breaking_news' => false, 'main_news' => true, 'in_scroller' => null, 'user_id' => '34' ) ), (int) 4 => array( 'Article' => array( 'id' => '21454', 'article_category_id' => '1', 'title' => 'Problematic Cooperatives Unlikely to Return Depositors' Money: Police', 'sub_title' => '', 'summary' => 'KATHMANDU: Amid rising complaints about cooperatives failing to return depositors' money, the police have concluded that these problematic cooperatives are unlikely to do so. ', 'content' => '<p><span style="font-size:18px"><span style="font-family:"Times New Roman","serif"">KATHMANDU: Amid rising complaints about cooperatives failing to return depositors' money, the police have concluded that these problematic cooperatives are unlikely to do so. The police noted that weaknesses in cooperative registration, poor record management, and insufficient monitoring have contributed to the problem. Police officials emphasized that police investigation alone cannot resolve the issues in the cooperative sector or ensure the return of depositors' money. High-ranking police officers suggested that the government needs to adopt different strategies to solve these issues and return the deposits of the general public.</span></span></p> <p><span style="font-size:18px"><span style="font-family:"Times New Roman","serif"">Home Ministry Secretary Ek Narayan Aryal, Inspector General of Police Basanta Bahadur Kunwar, Central Investigation Department (CIB) Chief Shyamlal Gyawali, and Crime Investigation Department Chief Tek Bahadur Tamang made these remarks during a discussion organized by the Parliamentary Special Committee, formed to investigate the misappropriation of savings by cooperatives, on Friday.</span></span></p> <p><span style="font-size:18px"><span style="font-family:Calibri,"sans-serif""><span style="font-family:"Times New Roman","serif"">Inspector General of Police Kunwar informed the committee that the likelihood of recovering savings from the problematic cooperatives is very low.</span></span></span></p> <p><span style="font-size:18px"><span style="font-family:Calibri,"sans-serif""><span style="font-family:"Times New Roman","serif"">"Due to the failure of regulatory bodies to effectively oversee the cooperative sector, deposits have been embezzled and misused since registration," he said. </span></span></span></p> <p><span style="font-size:18px"><span style="font-family:Calibri,"sans-serif""><span style="font-family:"Times New Roman","serif"">According to the police, 55,410 victims have filed 5,300 complaints about not receiving their money back from cooperatives. Out of these, 98 complaints have led to investigations and registered cases, claiming a total of Rs 11.66 billion, the police officials informed the parliamentary committee. The police have arrested 294 out of 1,150 defendants, while 856 are still absconding. </span></span></span></p> <p><span style="font-size:18px"><span style="font-family:Calibri,"sans-serif""><span style="font-family:"Times New Roman","serif"">In the committee meeting, Inspector General Kunwar explained that directors of cooperatives took loans by mortgaging property acquired from savers in the bank. When the bank auctioned these properties at low prices, it put the cooperatives’ savings at risk. He also suggested forming a separate Financial Crime Control Bureau, noting that the police lack skilled manpower to investigate financial crimes. </span></span></span></p> <p><span style="font-size:18px"><span style="font-family:Calibri,"sans-serif""><span style="font-family:"Times New Roman","serif"">About a decade ago, a commission of inquiry headed by Gauri Bahadur Karki recommended forming a commission to return depositors’ money. The commission suggested study of troubled cooperatives, property search, and auction. Following the Karki Commission's suggestion, the Cooperatives Act of 2074 established a problematic cooperative management committee to investigate the assets of troubled cooperatives and settle their liabilities. </span></span></span></p> <p><span style="font-size:18px"><span style="font-family:Calibri,"sans-serif""><span style="font-family:"Times New Roman","serif"">On January 13, 2018, the Federal Government formed the 'Problematic Cooperative Management Committee.' Over six years, the committee has seen four chairpersons replaced and has been tasked with resolving 21 problematic institutions, but none have been fully resolved. Nine cooperatives are under separate police investigations. </span></span></span></p> <p><span style="font-size:18px"><span style="font-family:Calibri,"sans-serif""><span style="font-family:"Times New Roman","serif"">To address the problems of cooperatives, the government formed a task force headed by a member of the National Planning Commission last year. The task force, coordinated by Jayakant Raut, recommended that cooperatives engaging in large transactions should be monitored by the central bank. The report submitted to Prime Minister Pushpa Kamal Dahal last September also suggested forming a second-tier regulatory body for monitoring cooperatives and classifying them based on problems. It also recommended establishing a credit information center, and a debt recovery tribunal. However, these recommendations have not been implemented.</span></span></span></p> <p><span style="font-size:18px"><span style="font-family:Calibri,"sans-serif""><span style="font-family:"Times New Roman","serif"">Recently, Swarnalakshmi Cooperative and various other cooperatives were involved in the Gorkha media network scandal, implicating Deputy Prime Minister and Home Minister Ravi Lamichhane. Consequently, a parliamentary inquiry committee was formed to investigate 29 cooperatives, including 20 identified as problematic. Surya Thapa, chairman of the committee, stated that the cooperative issue is linked to the entire financial system and the banking sector and therefore the committee will discuss the matter with stakeholders.</span></span></span></p> <p> </p> ', 'published' => true, 'created' => '2024-07-07', 'modified' => '2024-07-07', 'keywords' => '', 'description' => '', 'sortorder' => '21181', 'image' => '20240707115721_cooperative-new.jpg', 'article_date' => '2024-07-07 11:56:35', 'homepage' => false, 'breaking_news' => false, 'main_news' => true, 'in_scroller' => null, 'user_id' => '34' ) ), (int) 5 => array( 'Article' => array( 'id' => '21453', 'article_category_id' => '1', 'title' => 'Floods Affect Electricity Generation', 'sub_title' => '', 'summary' => 'KATHMANDU: Power production plants across the country have been affected due to floods triggered by incessant rainfall. ', 'content' => '<p><span style="font-size:18px"><span style="font-family:Calibri,"sans-serif""><span style="font-family:"Arial Unicode MS","sans-serif"">KATHMANDU: Power production plants across the country have been affected due to floods triggered by incessant rainfall. As a result, power supply has been interrupted in some places. </span><br /> <span style="font-family:"Arial Unicode MS","sans-serif"">According to the Nepal Electricity Authority (NEA), power plants that produce about 640 megawatts of electricity have been shut down due to floods. </span><br /> <span style="font-family:"Arial Unicode MS","sans-serif"">Upper Tamakoshi, operated by Upper Tamakoshi Hydropower Limited, a subsidiary company of the NEA, with a capacity of 456 megawatts, has been closed since Friday evening due to flooding. </span><br /> <span style="font-family:"Arial Unicode MS","sans-serif"">Similarly, Sunkoshi Hydropower Project of 60 MW capacity and 10 MW capacity Upper Trishuli 'A' have also been closed. </span><br /> <span style="font-family:"Arial Unicode MS","sans-serif"">According to the information provided by the NEA load dispatch center, Balefi with a capacity of 36 MW, Lower Modi with a capacity of 20 MW, middle Modi with a capacity of 18 MW, and Upper Chamelia with a capacity of 40 MW have also been closed due to floods. </span><br /> <span style="font-family:"Arial Unicode MS","sans-serif"">Furthermore, some projects are running at low capacity. -- RSS</span></span></span></p> <p> </p> ', 'published' => true, 'created' => '2024-07-07', 'modified' => '2024-07-07', 'keywords' => '', 'description' => '', 'sortorder' => '21180', 'image' => '20240707105522_hydro.jpg', 'article_date' => '2024-07-07 10:54:41', 'homepage' => false, 'breaking_news' => false, 'main_news' => true, 'in_scroller' => null, 'user_id' => '34' ) ), (int) 6 => array( 'Article' => array( 'id' => '21455', 'article_category_id' => '1', 'title' => 'Flood Risks High till Today, Citizens Urged to Adopt Precautions ', 'sub_title' => '', 'summary' => 'KATHMANDU: The Flood Forecasting Division under the Department of Hydrology and Meteorology has urged the general public to adopt high security alert, stating that there is a risk of floods in different parts of the country until Sunday (today). ', 'content' => '<p><span style="font-size:18px"><span style="font-family:"Times New Roman","serif"">KATHMANDU: The Flood Forecasting Division under the Department of Hydrology and Meteorology has urged the general public to adopt high security alert, stating that there is a risk of floods in different parts of the country until Sunday (today). Due to the possibility of heavy rainfall, water levels in rivers may increase, causing a risk of flooding. </span></span></p> <p><span style="font-size:18px"><span style="font-family:"Times New Roman","serif"">The department's flood expert and hydrologist, Engineer Bijay Dhukuchu, reported that most of the small rivers flowing through Ilam, Jhapa, Morang, Lamjung, Kaski, Palpa, Nawalparasi East, and adjoining districts rose on Saturday. According to him, the flow of small rivers in Udayapur, Sindhuli, Makawanpur, Chitwan, Sindhupalchowk, Ramechhap, Achham, Doti, Kailali, and adjoining districts also increased on Saturday. </span></span></p> <p><span style="font-size:18px"><span style="font-family:"Times New Roman","serif"">"Most of the small rivers across the country are likely to see an increase in their flow on Sunday, and some small rivers in Gandaki, Lumbini, Karnali, and Sudurpaschim provinces may face flash floods," he warned.</span></span></p> <p><span style="font-size:18px"><span style="font-family:"Times New Roman","serif"">The division noted that the weather remained generally to fully cloudy throughout the country on Saturday, with light to moderate rain accompanied by thunder and lightning in many places. Heavy rainfall occurred in a few locations within Koshi, Madhes, Gandaki, Lumbini, and Sudurpaschim provinces, and in one or two places in the remaining provinces.</span></span></p> <p><span style="font-size:18px"><span style="font-family:"Times New Roman","serif"">The division urged the general public to take necessary precautions to avoid the possible risks of disasters such as landslides, floods, and soil erosion in areas prone to heavy rainfall. </span></span></p> <p><span style="font-size:18px"><span style="font-family:"Times New Roman","serif"">“These conditions may partially affect daily life, agriculture, health, tourism, mountaineering, road, and air transport in those areas," the department said in a statement.</span></span></p> <p> </p> ', 'published' => true, 'created' => '2024-07-07', 'modified' => '2024-07-07', 'keywords' => '', 'description' => '', 'sortorder' => '21179', 'image' => '20240707124644_450068615_895863605898971_6927651837151219684_n.jpg', 'article_date' => '2024-07-07 12:45:59', 'homepage' => false, 'breaking_news' => false, 'main_news' => true, 'in_scroller' => null, 'user_id' => '34' ) ), (int) 7 => array( 'Article' => array( 'id' => '21452', 'article_category_id' => '1', 'title' => 'Madhesh Province Spends Only 32% of Budget in Current Fiscal Year', 'sub_title' => '', 'summary' => 'With only a few days remaining in the current fiscal year, the Madhesh Province government has managed to spend just about one-third of its allocated budget. By end of July (mid-Asar) of the fiscal year 2080/81, the provincial government had expended only 32 percent of its total budget, according to the Ministry of Finance.', 'content' => '<p><span style="font-size:20px"><span style="font-family:Calibri,"sans-serif"">July 7: With only a few days remaining in the current fiscal year, the Madhesh Province government has managed to spend just about one-third of its allocated budget. </span></span><span style="font-size:20px"><span style="font-family:Calibri,"sans-serif"">By end of July (mid-Asar) of the fiscal year 2080/81, the provincial government had expended only 32 percent of its total budget, according to the Ministry of Finance.</span></span></p> <p><span style="font-size:20px"><span style="font-family:Calibri,"sans-serif"">The Provincial Treasury Controller Office, Madhesh, reported that out of the total budget of Rs 44.11 billion, only Rs 14.14 billion had been spent by mid-Asar. </span></span><span style="font-size:20px"><span style="font-family:Calibri,"sans-serif"">Of the Rs 18.54 billion allocated for current expenditures, only 35.55 percent has been utilized. Similarly, out of the Rs 25.57 billion allocated for capital expenditures, only 29.55 percent has been spent.</span></span></p> <p><span style="font-size:20px"><span style="font-family:Calibri,"sans-serif"">Chief Minister and other ministers have criticized the federal government for not allocating the budget proportionately to the population in Madhesh. However, the provincial government itself has failed to spend even half of its allocated budget. </span></span></p> <p><span style="font-size:20px"><span style="font-family:Calibri,"sans-serif"">Ajay Kumar Karn, Acting Secretary of the Ministry of Finance of Madhesh Province, attributed the under-expenditure to factors such as changes in coalition partners at the federal level, the necessity for the Chief Minister to seek votes of confidence repeatedly, and overall government instability.</span></span></p> <p><span style="font-size:20px"><span style="font-family:Calibri,"sans-serif"">In the previous fiscal year 2079/80, the province had a budget of Rs 47.02 billion, out of which Rs 27.33 billion was spent. In the fiscal year 2078/79, half of the budget was frozen, with only Rs 17.76 billion spent out of a budget of Rs 34.88 billion.</span></span></p> <p> </p> ', 'published' => true, 'created' => '2024-07-07', 'modified' => '2024-07-07', 'keywords' => '', 'description' => '', 'sortorder' => '21178', 'image' => '20240707063009_collage (58).jpg', 'article_date' => '2024-07-07 06:28:22', 'homepage' => false, 'breaking_news' => false, 'main_news' => true, 'in_scroller' => null, 'user_id' => '42' ) ), (int) 8 => array( 'Article' => array( 'id' => '21449', 'article_category_id' => '1', 'title' => 'Shyam Badan Shrestha Conferred Lifetime Achievement in Women Entrepreneurship Award', 'sub_title' => '', 'summary' => 'KATHMANDU: Shyam Badan Shrestha, who was conferred the Lifetime Achievement in Women Entrepreneurship Award during the NewBiz Business Women Summit and Awards 2024 on Friday, is an established name in the Nepali handicraft industry. ', 'content' => '<p><span style="font-size:18px"><span style="font-family:"Times New Roman","serif"">KATHMANDU: Shyam Badan Shrestha, who was conferred the Lifetime Achievement in Women Entrepreneurship Award during the NewBiz Business Women Summit and Awards 2024 on Friday, is an established name in the Nepali handicraft industry. She started handicraft production with her mother at the age of eight.</span></span></p> <p><span style="font-size:18px"><span style="font-family:"Times New Roman","serif"">Having lost her father before she was born, Shrestha learned to fight from an early age. Despite having no money to install electricity in their home, she would wake up at 2 am to make various handicraft products with her mother using oil lamps. This perseverance allowed her to pay for her schooling expenses. She used her experiences of struggle as a springboard to success, eventually completing her master's degree in Nepali Language and Literature from Tribhuvan University.</span></span></p> <p><span style="font-size:18px"><span style="font-family:"Times New Roman","serif"">After spending 13 years in the teaching profession, Shrestha founded Nepal Knotcraft Center with an investment of Rs 200 around 40 years ago, intending to financially empower other women like her. The awards citation handed to her during the ceremony described her as a beacon of perseverance, resilience, and innovation, inspiring generations of women entrepreneurs.</span></span></p> <p><span style="font-size:18px"><span style="font-family:"Times New Roman","serif"">Shrestha has given hope to many, showing that even a business with a small investment can bring future success. Her business, which now employs 300 women, has an annual turnover of up to Rs 10 million.</span></span></p> <p><span style="font-size:18px"><span style="font-family:"Times New Roman","serif"">In the early days of her entrepreneurship, she produced handicrafts from raw materials found in the Kathmandu Valley. Later, she visited about 65 districts to research indigenous raw materials in Nepal. She identified 45 types of fibrous plants, including allo, cardamom, corn husk, bamboo, straw, cane, and nigalo which could be used for producing handicraft products.</span></span></p> <p><span style="font-size:18px"><span style="font-family:"Times New Roman","serif"">Shrestha won the World Craft Council Award of Excellence for Handicraft in 2018 for producing handicraft materials made from fibrous plants. In the same year, she also won first prize in the SAARC Women Entrepreneurship Competition.</span></span></p> <p><span style="font-size:18px"><span style="font-family:"Times New Roman","serif"">The goods produced by her industry, located in the Patan industrial area, are currently being exported to Europe, America, Japan, and other countries, and are also sold in the domestic market. She emphasizes the use of Nepali raw materials to protect endangered Nepali handicrafts.</span></span></p> <p> </p> ', 'published' => true, 'created' => '2024-07-06', 'modified' => '2024-07-06', 'keywords' => '', 'description' => '', 'sortorder' => '21177', 'image' => '20240706105511_449069362_8664980046852504_8808563333510855685_n.jpg', 'article_date' => '2024-07-06 10:53:29', 'homepage' => false, 'breaking_news' => false, 'main_news' => true, 'in_scroller' => null, 'user_id' => '34' ) ), (int) 9 => array( 'Article' => array( 'id' => '21450', 'article_category_id' => '1', 'title' => 'Rainfall Taking Place All Over the Country ', 'sub_title' => '', 'summary' => 'KATHMANDU: The country is experiencing rainfall due to the influence of monsoon winds today (Saturday).', 'content' => '<p><span style="font-size:11pt"><span style="font-family:Calibri,"sans-serif""><span style="font-family:"Arial Unicode MS","sans-serif"">KATHMANDU: The country is experiencing rainfall due to the influence of monsoon winds today (Saturday). Most of the places in Bagmati, Gandaki and Lumbini provinces are receiving light to moderate rain, while rainfall is taking place in some places of the rest of the country. </span><br /> <span style="font-family:"Arial Unicode MS","sans-serif"">According to the Department of Hydrology and Meteorology, there will be light to moderate rain in many places of all the provinces on Saturday afternoon, with possibility of heavy rain at a few places in Bagmati, Gandaki and Lumbini provinces. </span><br /> <span style="font-family:"Arial Unicode MS","sans-serif"">Later tonight, the weather will be generally to completely cloudy across the country, with a possibility of light to moderate rain with thunder and lightning at some places in Koshi and Madhesh provinces and many places in the remaining provinces. </span></span></span></p> <p><span style="font-size:11pt"><span style="font-family:Calibri,"sans-serif""><span style="font-family:"Arial Unicode MS","sans-serif"">Heavy rain is likely in few places of Koshi, Bagmati, Gandaki, Lumbini, Karnali and Sudurpaschim provinces and one or two places of Madhesh province. -- RSS </span></span></span></p> <p> </p> ', 'published' => true, 'created' => '2024-07-06', 'modified' => '2024-07-06', 'keywords' => '', 'description' => '', 'sortorder' => '21176', 'image' => '20240706111626_20230904111644_rain (1).jpeg', 'article_date' => '2024-07-06 11:15:27', 'homepage' => false, 'breaking_news' => false, 'main_news' => true, 'in_scroller' => null, 'user_id' => '34' ) ), (int) 10 => array( 'Article' => array( 'id' => '21451', 'article_category_id' => '1', 'title' => 'Website of Chief Minister's Office Hacked ', 'sub_title' => '', 'summary' => 'DHANGADHI: The website of the Office of the Chief Minister and Council of Ministers in Sudurpaschim Province was hacked on Friday. ', 'content' => '<p><span style="font-size:18px"><span style="font-family:Calibri,"sans-serif""><span style="font-family:"Arial Unicode MS","sans-serif"">DHANGADHI: The website of the Office of the Chief Minister and Council of Ministers in Sudurpaschim Province was hacked on Friday. </span><br /> <span style="font-family:"Arial Unicode MS","sans-serif"">Information Officer at the Office, Jagadish Prasad Joshi, shared that they informed the Department of Information Technology, Kathmandu, soon after learning that the website was hacked. Efforts were on to recover the site. </span><br /> <span style="font-family:"Arial Unicode MS","sans-serif"">While opening the website, it read the portal was hacked by Cookies called Captain Smoker 3R, he added. The office portal has not been restored as of Saturday morning. -- RSS</span></span></span></p> <p> </p> ', 'published' => true, 'created' => '2024-07-06', 'modified' => '2024-07-06', 'keywords' => '', 'description' => '', 'sortorder' => '21175', 'image' => '20240706112024_20190412060905_3.jpg', 'article_date' => '2024-07-06 11:19:39', 'homepage' => false, 'breaking_news' => false, 'main_news' => true, 'in_scroller' => null, 'user_id' => '34' ) ), (int) 11 => array( 'Article' => array( 'id' => '21448', 'article_category_id' => '1', 'title' => 'NewBiz Business Women Summit and Awards 2024 Concludes', 'sub_title' => '', 'summary' => 'KATHMANDU: Mausumi Shrestha of Shree Kishan Innovation Hub has been declared as the 'The Best Woman Entrepreneur' during the NewBiz Business Women Summit and Awards 2024 on Friday. ', 'content' => '<p><span style="font-size:18px"><span style="font-family:"Times New Roman","serif""><span style="font-family:"Calibri","sans-serif"">KATHMANDU: The NewBiz Business Women Summit and Awards 2024 concluded on Friday, honouring 12 women entrepreneurs in recognition of their contributions to the development of entrepteneurship.</span></span></span></p> <p><span style="font-size:18px"><span style="font-family:"Times New Roman","serif""><span style="font-family:"Calibri","sans-serif"">Mausumi Shrestha of Shree Kishan Innovation Hub was declared as the 'The Best Woman Entrepreneur' during the awards ceremony held in the capital on Friday. She was awarded for her contribution in establishing the Shreenagar Agro Group which helps farmers produce crop with modern technology.</span></span></span></p> <p><span style="font-size:18px"><span style="font-family:"Times New Roman","serif""><span style="font-family:"Calibri","sans-serif"">The Lifetime Achievement Award in Women Entrepreneurship was conferred to Shyam Badan Shrestha of Nepal Knotcraft Centre Pvt Ltd for her immense contribution to the field of entrepreneurship.</span></span></span></p> <p><span style="font-size:18px"><span style="font-family:"Times New Roman","serif""><span style="font-family:"Calibri","sans-serif"">Other winners include Rita Pokharel, Director of InDrive, who received the award in the 'Professional Woman of Excellence' category.</span></span></span></p> <p><span style="font-size:18px"><span style="font-family:"Times New Roman","serif""><span style="font-family:"Calibri","sans-serif"">Similarly, Vedika Murarka, co-founder of Educase, won the 'Pioneer Social Entrepreneur of the Year' award, and Sonika Manandhar, co-founder of Aloi, received the 'Women in Tech' award.</span></span></span></p> <p><span style="font-size:18px"><span style="font-family:"Times New Roman","serif""><span style="font-family:"Calibri","sans-serif"">Additionally, in the 'Emerging Enterprising Woman of the Year' category, one recipient from each of the seven provinces was honored with an award and cash Rs 51,000 each. The 'Emerging Enterprising Woman of the Year' award recipients include Maya Gurung of the sandalwood industry in Taplejung, Koshi Province; Sunaina Thakur of Sunaina Artski in Dhanusha, Madhesh Province; Sapna Sapkota of Bella Kasa in Bagmati Province; Geeta Nath of Karnali Garment Industry in Kaski, Gandaki Province; Geeta Kumari Koiri Maurya of Banke Poultry Farm in Banke, Lumbini Province; Bhumisara Tomta of Shramjivi Masala Udyog in Surkhet, Karnali Province; and Savitri Ojha of Green Mountain Agricultural Development Firm in Dadeldhura, Sudurpaschim Province</span></span></span></p> <p><span style="font-size:18px"><span style="font-family:"Times New Roman","serif""><span style="font-family:"Calibri","sans-serif"">New Business Age has been organising this annual event since 2021 to encourage women entrepreneurs and recognize their contributions.</span></span></span></p> <p><span style="font-size:18px"><span style="font-family:"Times New Roman","serif""><span style="font-family:"Calibri","sans-serif"">An independent jury had selected the best women entrepreneurs across various categories for the awards. </span></span></span></p> <p><span style="font-size:18px"><span style="font-family:"Times New Roman","serif""><span style="font-family:"Calibri","sans-serif"">Nepal Rastra Bank’s Governor Maha Prasad Adhikari was the chief guest for the first half of the awards ceremony while Supreme Court Justice Sapana Pradhan Malla was the chief guest for the second half.</span></span></span></p> <p><span style="font-size:18px"><span style="font-family:"Times New Roman","serif""><span style="font-family:"Calibri","sans-serif"">New Business Age has been organizing this award since 2021 to encourage women entrepreneurs and recognize their contributions to society.</span></span></span></p> <p> </p> <p> </p> ', 'published' => true, 'created' => '2024-07-05', 'modified' => '2024-07-06', 'keywords' => '', 'description' => '', 'sortorder' => '21174', 'image' => '20240705073909_449375706_820201803149924_8755746597775457538_n.jpg', 'article_date' => '2024-07-05 19:38:36', 'homepage' => false, 'breaking_news' => false, 'main_news' => true, 'in_scroller' => false, 'user_id' => '34' ) ), (int) 12 => array( 'Article' => array( 'id' => '21447', 'article_category_id' => '1', 'title' => 'Entrepreneurship Leads to Women Empowerment: Justice Malla', 'sub_title' => '', 'summary' => 'Supreme Court Justice Sapana Pradhan Malla said that entrepreneurship would lead to women empowerment and independence.', 'content' => '<p><span style="font-size:20px"><span style="font-family:"Times New Roman","serif"">July 5: Supreme Court Justice Sapana Pradhan Malla said that entrepreneurship would lead to women empowerment and independence. </span></span></p> <p><span style="font-size:20px"><span style="font-family:"Times New Roman","serif"">Addressing NEWBIZ Business Women Summit and Awards 2024 in Kathmandu, Justice Malla thanked NBA for initiating the award ceremony. “I am deeply inspired by all women entrepreneurs hounoured today. The winners not only represent themselves but also women across the entire country. They have shown that women can achieve remarkable feats,” she added. </span></span></p> <p><span style="font-size:20px"><span style="font-family:"Times New Roman","serif"">Sharing how Pakistani people were amazed by Nepali women driving the tempos, Malla added that women have held the important positions such as President Chief Justice and other important posts in the country. </span></span></p> <p><span style="font-size:20px"><span style="font-family:"Times New Roman","serif"">Malla recalled her advocacy for women’s empowerment through the women’s ownership into property. “Women now own 37% of the land, with laws and regulations offering discounts on property tax,” she said. </span></span></p> <p><span style="font-size:20px"><span style="font-family:"Times New Roman","serif"">Malla said that despite various women friendly laws they have not come into implementation due to unawareness of the regulations. </span></span></p> <p><span style="font-size:20px"><span style="font-family:"Times New Roman","serif"">Malla, however, said that traditional mindset, feelings of inferiority, and the confinement to domestic roles are still posing challenges to the women. </span></span><span style="font-size:20px"><span style="font-family:"Times New Roman","serif"">She urged the women to participate in non-stereotypical entrepreneurship. She also stressed that awards would give recognition and validation to their works.</span></span></p> <p> </p> ', 'published' => true, 'created' => '2024-07-05', 'modified' => '2024-07-05', 'keywords' => '', 'description' => '', 'sortorder' => '21173', 'image' => '20240705071047_collage (57).jpg', 'article_date' => '2024-07-05 19:08:57', 'homepage' => false, 'breaking_news' => false, 'main_news' => true, 'in_scroller' => null, 'user_id' => '42' ) ), (int) 13 => array( 'Article' => array( 'id' => '21446', 'article_category_id' => '1', 'title' => 'Women Entrepreneurs Face More Challenges than Men: Stakeholders', 'sub_title' => '', 'summary' => 'KATHMANDU: Stakeholders at the New Business Women Summit and Awards 2024, organized by New Business Age Pvt Ltd, highlighted that women entrepreneurs face more challenges than their male counterparts.', 'content' => '<p><span style="font-size:11pt"><span style="font-family:Calibri,"sans-serif""><strong><span style="font-size:12.0pt"><span style="font-family:"Times New Roman","serif"">KATHMANDU:</span></span></strong><span style="font-size:12.0pt"><span style="font-family:"Times New Roman","serif""> Stakeholders at the New Business Women Summit and Awards 2024, organized by New Business Age Pvt Ltd, highlighted that women entrepreneurs face more challenges than their male counterparts.</span></span></span></span></p> <p><span style="font-size:11pt"><span style="font-family:Calibri,"sans-serif""><span style="font-size:12.0pt"><span style="font-family:"Times New Roman","serif"">During the event, Padmakshi Rana, Executive Director of Impact Hub Kathmandu and a speaker in the panel discussion on 'Strengthening Women's Business Leadership,' pointed out that women face significant hurdles, especially in gaining financial access. </span></span></span></span></p> <p><span style="font-size:11pt"><span style="font-family:Calibri,"sans-serif""><span style="font-size:12.0pt"><span style="font-family:"Times New Roman","serif"">"The biggest problem women entrepreneurs face is financial access," she said. "Challenges begin right from the creation of a business plan." Rana also mentioned generational and gender-related issues, such as difficulties with documentation, registration, and communication.</span></span></span></span></p> <p><span style="font-size:11pt"><span style="font-family:Calibri,"sans-serif""><span style="font-size:12.0pt"><span style="font-family:"Times New Roman","serif"">Swastika Shrestha, CEO of Teach for Nepal, shared insights from her 12 years of experience in the education sector. She noted that there has been no significant improvement in SLC results over the years, with around 60 percent of students failing in the past and 80 percent of students still attending public schools, a large number of whom are girls.</span></span></span></span></p> <p><span style="font-size:11pt"><span style="font-family:Calibri,"sans-serif""><span style="font-size:12.0pt"><span style="font-family:"Times New Roman","serif"">"In our society, sons receive institutional education while daughters are given formal education," Shrestha said. "This disparity lowers the morale of girls in public schools, affecting their personality and leadership development, and limiting their potential to become entrepreneurs or leaders." She emphasized the need for educational reforms and improved family financial conditions to support women's entrepreneurial efforts.</span></span></span></span></p> <p><span style="font-size:11pt"><span style="font-family:Calibri,"sans-serif""><span style="font-size:12.0pt"><span style="font-family:"Times New Roman","serif"">Mahesh Bhattarai, Joint Secretary and Chief of the Economic Management Division of the National Planning Commission, stated that Nepal's constitution provides a foundation for women's empowerment by ensuring equality and special rights. He noted that Nepal's periodic plans contribute to women's capacity development and empowerment.</span></span></span></span></p> <p><span style="font-size:11pt"><span style="font-family:Calibri,"sans-serif""><span style="font-size:12.0pt"><span style="font-family:"Times New Roman","serif""> "We must work together to advance women's capacity development and empowerment," Bhattarai said. He highlighted ongoing preparations for the implementation of the 16th Plan, focusing on prioritizing women's issues across all development sectors. Bhattarai also mentioned the government's efforts in providing tax concessions, budget allocations, and business facilitation, emphasizing the need for these initiatives to be implemented effectively.</span></span></span></span></p> <p><span style="font-size:11pt"><span style="font-family:Calibri,"sans-serif""><span style="font-size:12.0pt"><span style="font-family:"Times New Roman","serif"">Samanata Thapa, Co-founder and Program Head of Startup Discovery Asia, facilitated the panel discussion.</span></span></span></span></p> <p><span style="font-size:11pt"><span style="font-family:Calibri,"sans-serif""><span style="font-size:12.0pt"><span style="font-family:"Times New Roman","serif"">The New Business Women Summit and Awards 2024 brought together stakeholders to discuss and address the unique challenges faced by women entrepreneurs, emphasizing the importance of collective efforts in fostering an inclusive and supportive entrepreneurial environment.</span></span></span></span></p> <p> </p> ', 'published' => true, 'created' => '2024-07-05', 'modified' => '2024-07-05', 'keywords' => '', 'description' => '', 'sortorder' => '21172', 'image' => '20240705064438_22101dbe.jpeg', 'article_date' => '2024-07-05 18:44:19', 'homepage' => false, 'breaking_news' => false, 'main_news' => true, 'in_scroller' => null, 'user_id' => '34' ) ), (int) 14 => array( 'Article' => array( 'id' => '21445', 'article_category_id' => '1', 'title' => 'Women Entrepreneurs Have Made Country Proud, Says NRB Governor', 'sub_title' => '', 'summary' => 'Maha Prasad Adhikari, Governor of Nepal Rastra Bank said that Nepal should highlight women entrepreneurs as their entrepreneurship has made the country proud in the international community. ', 'content' => '<p><span style="font-size:20px">July 5: Maha Prasad Adhikari, Governor of Nepal Rastra Bank said that Nepal should highlight women entrepreneurs as their entrepreneurship has made the country proud in the international community. </span></p> <p><span style="font-size:20px">Speaking at the NEWBIZ Business Women Summit and Awards 2024, Governor Adhikari expressed his gratitude and congratulations for organizing programs focused on women's empowerment and entrepreneurship. </span></p> <p><span style="font-size:20px">Adhikari highlighted significant improvements in the gender gap, noting a 6% increase in women's inclusion in banking, according to the latest NRB report.</span></p> <p><span style="font-size:20px">Adhikari revealed that 126,000 people have taken concessional loans from banks, with 75,000 of them being women, who have collectively borrowed Rs 43 billion. </span></p> <p><span style="font-size:20px">He urged bankers to support women entrepreneurs. "If any woman is interested in starting a business, do support them making the access to loan easy and simple," he emphasized.</span></p> <p><span style="font-size:20px">The Governor also addressed concerns regarding the misuse of concessional loans provided to women entrepreneurs. He stressed that as long as the loans achieve their intended objectives, their use should not be misinterpreted. </span></p> <p><span style="font-size:20px">Adhikari also encouraged borrowers to develop sustainable business models, noting that subsidies will not last forever. "Nepali women entrepreneurs can compete with any women in the world as they have successfully run hotels and agro farms," Adhikari added.</span></p> <p><span style="font-size:20px">Governor also invited suggestions as the NRB is preparing for its new monetary policy, aiming to further support and enhance women's roles in the economy.</span></p> <p><span style="font-size:20px">Similarly, Chief Executive Officer of Standard Chartered Bank Nepal Limited Anirvan Ghosh Dastidar thanked New Business Age for the organization of the programme focused on women. “We thank the NBA for conducting programs that support women's entrepreneurship, leadership, and empowerment,” said Dastidar. </span></p> <p><span style="font-size:20px">He joyfully reminded the unique initiative where the Japanese Yen is made from Nepali paper, with the majority of the workforce being women. Appreciating the 16th national plan focusing on gender equality, he shared "Our association with NBA is strengthened by our Global Connect Program. </span></p> ', 'published' => true, 'created' => '2024-07-05', 'modified' => '2024-07-05', 'keywords' => '', 'description' => '', 'sortorder' => '21171', 'image' => '20240705060952_collage (56).jpg', 'article_date' => '2024-07-05 18:04:59', 'homepage' => false, 'breaking_news' => false, 'main_news' => true, 'in_scroller' => false, 'user_id' => '42' ) ) ) $current_user = null $logged_in = false $xml = falsesimplexml_load_file - [internal], line ?? include - APP/View/Elements/side_bar.ctp, line 133 View::_evaluate() - CORE/Cake/View/View.php, line 971 View::_render() - CORE/Cake/View/View.php, line 933 View::_renderElement() - CORE/Cake/View/View.php, line 1224 View::element() - CORE/Cake/View/View.php, line 418 include - APP/View/Articles/index.ctp, line 157 View::_evaluate() - CORE/Cake/View/View.php, line 971 View::_render() - CORE/Cake/View/View.php, line 933 View::render() - CORE/Cake/View/View.php, line 473 Controller::render() - CORE/Cake/Controller/Controller.php, line 968 Dispatcher::_invoke() - CORE/Cake/Routing/Dispatcher.php, line 200 Dispatcher::dispatch() - CORE/Cake/Routing/Dispatcher.php, line 167 [main] - APP/webroot/index.php, line 117
| Currency | Unit |
Buy | Sell |
| U.S. Dollar | 1 | 121.23 | 121.83 |
| European Euro | 1 | 131.65 | 132.31 |
| UK Pound Sterling | 1 | 142.47 | 143.18 |
| Swiss Franc | 1 | 124.29 | 124.90 |
| Australian Dollar | 1 | 71.69 | 72.05 |
| Canadian Dollar | 1 | 83.90 | 84.32 |
| Japanese Yen | 10 | 10.94 | 11.00 |
| Chinese Yuan | 1 | 17.17 | 17.26 |
| Saudi Arabian Riyal | 1 | 32.27 | 32.43 |
| UAE Dirham | 1 | 33.01 | 33.17 |
| Malaysian Ringgit | 1 | 27.36 | 27.50 |
| South Korean Won | 100 | 9.77 | 9.82 |
Update: 2020-03-25 | Source: Nepal Rastra Bank (NRB)
| Fine Gold | 1 tola | 77000.00 |
| Tejabi Gold | 1 tola | 76700.00 |
| Silver | 1 tola | 720.00 |
Update : 2020-03-25
Source: Federation of Nepal Gold and Silver Dealers' Association
| Petrol | 1 Liter | 106.00 |
| Diesel | 1 Liter | 95.00 |
| Kerosene | 1 Liter | 95.00 |
| LP Gas | 1 Cylinder | 1375.00 |
Update : 2020-03-25
