March 5: Two earthquakes were recorded to have taken place in two different parts of the country this…
March 5: Two earthquakes were recorded to have taken place in two different parts of the country this…
March 5: The Mardi Himal trek, a lesser-known trekking route in the Annapurna region, is getting popularity of late by attracting both domestic and foreign…
Baba Baijanath Sugar Mill has not been able to crush sugarcanes in accordance with its capacity in…
March 4: Foreign tourists are gradually starting to appear in Thamel, the major tourist hub in the federal capital,…
March 3: A special programme has been scheduled to take place at Syangboche of Solukhumbu on coming March 8 on the occasion of the International Women's…
March 3: The price of gold has declined by Rs 100 per tola (11.66 grams) on Friday and is being traded at Rs 102,500 per…
Nepali tea producing companies have been awarded for their taste and quality in the international contest. Nepali tea companies won the gold and silver medals in “Second Tea Quality Competition in China” organized by China Tea Marketing Association from September 20 to 21,…
Laxmi Intercontinental, the authorised distributor of Hyundai vehicles in Nepal, has launched the face-lifted version of its popular model Grand i10 Nios, highlighted as 'More The…
March 3: Umbrella organisations of banks and financial institutions (BFIs) have expressed concerns towards public statements made by the debtors that they will not pay back the…
March 3: The locals of Bhajani Municipality of Kailali district have been dreaming of a concrete bridge for 12 years.…
March 3: Senior leader Ram Chandra Paudel of the Nepali Congress, the largest party in the House of Representatives, and Subas Chandra Nembang, the vice chairman of the second largest party, CPN-UML, are all set to contest in the presidential election on March…
March 3: The government has formed a high-level committee to prepare a comprehensive report on cyber security by incorporating issues related to policy, law, structure and process and making suggestions…
The export of Nepali tea has increased by 30 percent. The export of Nepali tea has gone up by 29.9 percent in the first seven months of the current fiscal year compared to the same period last fiscal year, according to Trade and Export Promotion…
March 2: After the tight monetary policy adopted by Nepal Rastra Bank (NRB) reduced credit expansion, the credit-deposit ratio (CD ratio) of commercial banks finally started to…
Deputy Prime Minister and Minister for Physical Infrastructure and Transport Narayan Kaji Shrestha will be leaving for Doha of Qatar to take part in the Conference of the Least Developed Countries (LDCs) on…
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The epicenters of the earthquakes were located at Patalkot of Achham and Kashikhand of Kavrepalanchok districts, according to the National Earthquake Monitoring and Research Center, Lainchaur, Kathmandu. </span><br /> <span style="font-family:"Arial Unicode MS","sans-serif"">The earthquake measuring 4.4 in the Richter scale occurred at 8:35 am in Achham while a magnitude 4.3 earthquake occurred in Kavrepalanchok at 8:03 am this morning (Sunday). </span><br /> <span style="font-family:"Arial Unicode MS","sans-serif"">There has been a rise in incidents of earthquakes in different parts of the country of late. -- RSS </span></span></span></p> ', 'published' => true, 'created' => '2023-03-05', 'modified' => '2023-03-05', 'keywords' => 'earthquake, quake, tremor, Richter, scale, measure, Nepal, Kavre, Achham, rising, epicentre', 'description' => '', 'sortorder' => '16915', 'image' => '20230305113159_earthquake-richter.jpg', 'article_date' => '2023-03-05 11:31:19', 'homepage' => false, 'breaking_news' => false, 'main_news' => true, 'in_scroller' => false, 'user_id' => '34' ) ), (int) 1 => array( 'Article' => array( 'id' => '17176', 'article_category_id' => '1', 'title' => 'Mardi Himal Trek Getting Electricity Facility ', 'sub_title' => '', 'summary' => 'March 5: The Mardi Himal trek, a lesser-known trekking route in the Annapurna region, is getting popularity of late by attracting both domestic and foreign tourists. ', 'content' => '<p><span style="font-size:18px"><span style="font-family:"Times New Roman","serif""><span style="font-family:"Arial Unicode MS","sans-serif"">March 5: The Mardi Himal trek, a lesser-known trekking route in the Annapurna region, is getting popularity of late by attracting both domestic and foreign tourists. </span><br /> <span style="font-family:"Arial Unicode MS","sans-serif"">The trekking route that offers majestic views of the Himalayan mountain range was almost forgotten until almost a decade ago. Its popularity has been lately increasing across the globe for being one of the best and challenging treks in the world. The trek is lined up with hospitality facilities including around 80 small and big hotels and restaurants to serve visiting tourists. </span><br /> <span style="font-family:"Arial Unicode MS","sans-serif"">However, there is a lack of variety of other facilities like electricity, internet and telephone. As a result, tourists and local people visiting the area have to suffer a lot. They have to face various problems like not getting their gadgets and electrical appliances charged. But, efforts are on to equip the trekking route with electricity, the locals said. </span><br /> <span style="font-family:"Arial Unicode MS","sans-serif"">The transmission line has reached up to Kalimati of Mardi, Ghalel and Pritam Daurali. The Nepal Electricity Authority (NEA) is at work to expand electricity along the trek under the initiative of the local tourism entrepreneurs and the Machhapuchre Rural Municipality. </span><br /> <span style="font-family:"Arial Unicode MS","sans-serif"">The NEA Gandaki Provincial Office has called for a bid to expand electricity up to the upper area of Mardi, said Ram Gurung, ward chair of the rural municipality-8.</span></span></span></p> <p><span style="font-size:18px"><span style="font-family:"Times New Roman","serif""><span style="font-family:"Arial Unicode MS","sans-serif"">"We had for long been demanding the electrification of Mardi. The NEA has started the process of expanding electricity. This will contribute to the local tourism," he said. </span><br /> <span style="font-family:"Arial Unicode MS","sans-serif"">The Pokhara distribution centre had last year carried out a study on expanding electricity to the upper camp through a high tension line from the transformer at Kalimati or Siding in the rural municipality. The NEA has prioritised the electricity expansion. </span><br /> <span style="font-family:"Arial Unicode MS","sans-serif"">The tourists have to face various problems without electricity ranging from not getting their gadgets charged, said owner of the local Mardi Himal eco village, Shiva Prasad Bhandari, also the founding secretary of the Mardi Himal trek management committee. </span><br /> <span style="font-family:"Arial Unicode MS","sans-serif"">Some areas of the village are provided with solar power and internet. But, they do not work properly when the weather is bad, he said. </span><br /> <span style="font-family:"Arial Unicode MS","sans-serif"">"The main problem here is lack of electricity. Tourists have been deprived of facilities without power. With the increasing inflow of tourists, the number of hotels has increased. But, many facilities are lacking. We are now encouraged by the NEA's initiatives to expand power," he said. -- RSS </span></span></span></p> <p> </p> ', 'published' => true, 'created' => '2023-03-05', 'modified' => '2023-03-05', 'keywords' => '', 'description' => '', 'sortorder' => '16914', 'image' => '20230305101707_20230304102843_20220718030551_fishtail-seen-from-mardi-himal-base-camp.jpg', 'article_date' => '2023-03-05 10:16:02', 'homepage' => false, 'breaking_news' => false, 'main_news' => true, 'in_scroller' => null, 'user_id' => '34' ) ), (int) 2 => array( 'Article' => array( 'id' => '17175', 'article_category_id' => '277', 'title' => 'Sugar Mill Faces Sugarcane Scarcity ', 'sub_title' => '', 'summary' => 'Baba Baijanath Sugar Mill has not been able to crush sugarcanes in accordance with its capacity in Rautahat. ', 'content' => '<p><span style="font-size:18px">March 5: Baba Baijanath Sugar Mill has not been able to crush sugarcanes in accordance with its capacity in Rautahat. </span></p> <p><span style="font-size:18px">Following the decline of sugarcane production in the district, the mill has been experiencing dearth of sugarcanes for the last few years. The mill has capacity to crush 20,000 quintals of sugarcane in a day. The mill, however, is crushing the less than 7,000 quintals of the sugarcane on a daily basis. </span></p> <p><span style="font-size:18px">Sugar Mill Proprietor Baiju Babara complained that sugarcane shortage had put the mill on the verge of closure. <br /> The mill had crushed just 0.6 million quintals of sugarcane last year. “Operating the mill below its capacity has incurred heavy loss for the mill,” said Babara. </span></p> <p><span style="font-size:18px">Farmers have reduced the cultivation of the sugarcane due to some sugar mills’ failure to pay the farmers on regular basis. Mill proprietor Babara says that his mill has no issue regarding the payment to the sugarcane farmers. “We have been paying the sugarcane farmers at their doorstep and encouraging them. Despite this, the production has declined,” Babara said.</span></p> <p><span style="font-size:18px">Farmers from Bara and Sarlahi used to sell sugarcane to the mill. The government ban to sell sugarcane from one district to another has aggravated the scarcity of the sugarcane, according to Barabara. </span></p> <p><span style="font-size:18px">Baijanath Sugar Mill has been helping farmers with seed, fertilizer and payment at their place. Besides, the mill has also provided a cane harvester to the farmers.</span></p> <p><span style="font-size:18px">Rautahat used to produce more than 2 million quintals of sugarcane in the past. The sugarcane production stands at between 1 to 1.2 million quintals a year at the moment, according to Sugarcane Producers’ Association Rautahat said. The mill has to be shut down earlier though the mill would operate till April in normal condition, said Baijanath. </span></p> <p><br /> </p> ', 'published' => true, 'created' => '2023-03-05', 'modified' => '2023-03-05', 'keywords' => '', 'description' => '', 'sortorder' => '16913', 'image' => '20230305070954_collage (13).jpg', 'article_date' => '2023-03-05 07:06:20', 'homepage' => false, 'breaking_news' => false, 'main_news' => true, 'in_scroller' => false, 'user_id' => '42' ) ), (int) 3 => array( 'Article' => array( 'id' => '17173', 'article_category_id' => '1', 'title' => 'Increase in Hotel Bookings Signals Revival of Tourism Sector', 'sub_title' => '', 'summary' => 'March 4: Foreign tourists are gradually starting to appear in Thamel, the major tourist hub in the federal capital, Kathmandu. ', 'content' => '<p><span style="font-size:11pt"><span style="font-family:Calibri,"sans-serif""><span style="font-family:"Arial Unicode MS","sans-serif"">March 4: Foreign tourists are gradually starting to appear in Thamel, the major tourist hub in the federal capital, Kathmandu. </span><br /> <span style="font-family:"Arial Unicode MS","sans-serif"">With the reappearance of large number of tourists in the streets of Thamel, tourism entrepreneurs are hoping for a revival of their business, severely hit by the COVID-19 pandemic. </span><br /> <span style="font-family:"Arial Unicode MS","sans-serif"">"The tourism sector of Nepal, which has been suffering since the coronavirus pandemic for a long time, is happy with the arrival of tourists," said President of Trekking Agencies Association of Nepal (TAAN), Nilhari Bastola. </span><br /> <span style="font-family:"Arial Unicode MS","sans-serif"">The months of March, April and May are considered as the start of tourist season in Nepal. The number of hotel bookings by foreign tourists has increased with the start of the tourist season, said Gopal Pangeni, the owner of a four-star hotel, Ramada Encore, in Thamel. He said that 70 percent rooms in his hotel with 92 rooms, have been booked for March and 90 percent for April and May. </span><br /> <span style="font-family:"Arial Unicode MS","sans-serif"">This shows that that the tourism sector of Nepal will gradually gain momentum in the months to come. </span><br /> <span style="font-family:"Arial Unicode MS","sans-serif"">More than 80 percent of the tourism business in Thamel relies on foreign tourists while 20 percent of the business comes from domestic tourists. There are more than a thousand hotels in and around the Thamel area. </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"">"Foreign tourists have gradually started to be seen in the inner streets of Thamel," said President of Thamel Tourism Development Council Bhaviswar Sharma. </span><br /> <span style="font-family:"Arial Unicode MS","sans-serif"">Likewise, the guests coming for late-night entertainment have also started getting crowded. During the weekends on Friday and Saturday, there is more activity in Thamel. Night clubs in Thamel have also started to return to usual business. </span><br /> <span style="font-family:"Arial Unicode MS","sans-serif"">Proprietor of the Shot Station Restaurant and Bar, Dharmaraj Paneru, said that the number of foreign guests who come to Thamel for entertainment at night has increased. "Since the last 15 days, the night business is gradually getting better, which has made us happy," he says. </span><br /> <span style="font-family:"Arial Unicode MS","sans-serif"">Director of Nepal Tourism Board Maniraj Lamichhane says that the arrival of foreign tourists is encouraging in recent days. </span><br /> <span style="font-family:"Arial Unicode MS","sans-serif"">A total of 73,255 tourists visited Nepal by air in the month of February 2023. In January the number was 55,074. Last year in February only 19,766 tourists had arrived in Nepal while it was just 9,146 tourists in 2021, according to records maintained by the NTB. -- RSS</span></span></span></p> ', 'published' => true, 'created' => '2023-03-04', 'modified' => '2023-03-04', 'keywords' => '', 'description' => '', 'sortorder' => '16911', 'image' => '20230304100605_20200306100011_20200130020146_hotels.jpg', 'article_date' => '2023-03-04 22:05:37', 'homepage' => false, 'breaking_news' => false, 'main_news' => true, 'in_scroller' => null, 'user_id' => '34' ) ), (int) 4 => array( 'Article' => array( 'id' => '17172', 'article_category_id' => '1', 'title' => ' Event on Climate Change to Take Place at Syangboche on March 8 ', 'sub_title' => '', 'summary' => 'March 3: A special programme has been scheduled to take place at Syangboche of Solukhumbu on coming March 8 on the occasion of the International Women's Day. ', 'content' => '<p><span style="font-size:11pt"><span style="font-family:Calibri,"sans-serif""><span style="font-family:"Arial Unicode MS","sans-serif"">March 3: A special programme has been scheduled to take place at Syangboche of Solukhumbu on coming March 8 on the occasion of the International Women's Day. </span><br /> <span style="font-family:"Arial Unicode MS","sans-serif"">The event aims to draw the global attention towards the impact of climate change on mountain life and call for climate justice to the affected community. </span><br /> <span style="font-family:"Arial Unicode MS","sans-serif""> The event to be organised by 'Sath Saathai' a women-focused non-profitable organisation, is supported by the Ministry of Forest and Environment, Ministry of Culture, Tourism and Civil Aviation, UNDP, ICIMOD, NTNC, and Embassy of the United Arab Emirates in Nepal. </span><br /> <span style="font-family:"Arial Unicode MS","sans-serif""> The organisation hosted the 'Mission to Kalpathhar' campaign last year on the occasion of International Women's Day and it concluded by issuing the 10-point Kalapaththar declaration. </span><br /> <span style="font-family:"Arial Unicode MS","sans-serif"">According to organisation chair Prajeeta Karki, following the Kalapaththar declaration, the organisation has decided to reach the site each year with programme aiming to advocate for and promote climate justice. </span><br /> <span style="font-family:"Arial Unicode MS","sans-serif"">Deputy Speaker Indira Rana Magar, Supreme Court judge Sapana Pradhan Malla, National Assembly member and former Minister Dr Bimala Paudyal Rai, representatives from the UAE Embassy and climate experts are among those attending the event. </span><br /> <span style="font-family:"Arial Unicode MS","sans-serif"">"Through the event, we want to create pressure on the bodies concern and the government to raise the issues about climate change impact on mountain life seriously during 28th Conference of the Parties to the UN Framework Convention on Climate Change (COP28), 2023 to be hosted by the UAE. </span><br /> <span style="font-family:"Arial Unicode MS","sans-serif"">The organisation has planned another seminar at Namche of Solukhumbu aiming to highlight the impact of climate change on women's life. </span><br /> <span style="font-family:"Arial Unicode MS","sans-serif"">The objectives of programes are to empower women for climate change-resilient societies, to seek support from the international community for the empowerment of target groups and to draw the global attention towards challenges caused climate change in the mountainous and low-lying areas and snow melting as a consequences of climate change. </span><br /> <span style="font-family:"Arial Unicode MS","sans-serif""> In addition to this, a national level dialogue on the 'Gravity of Climate Change and Climate Justice' has been scheduled to take place in Kathmandu on coming March 17. -- RSS </span></span></span></p> ', 'published' => true, 'created' => '2023-03-03', 'modified' => '2023-03-03', 'keywords' => '', 'description' => '', 'sortorder' => '16910', 'image' => '20230303055602_a19d4bd5373c6d71741e191658b7bee2.jpg', 'article_date' => '2023-03-03 17:55:40', 'homepage' => false, 'breaking_news' => false, 'main_news' => true, 'in_scroller' => null, 'user_id' => '34' ) ), (int) 5 => array( 'Article' => array( 'id' => '17171', 'article_category_id' => '1', 'title' => 'Price of Gold Drops by Rs 100 Per Tola', 'sub_title' => '', 'summary' => 'March 3: The price of gold has declined by Rs 100 per tola (11.66 grams) on Friday and is being traded at Rs 102,500 per tola.', 'content' => '<p><span style="font-size:11pt"><span style="font-family:Calibri,"sans-serif""><span style="font-family:"Arial Unicode MS","sans-serif"">March 3: The price of gold has declined by Rs 100 per tola (11.66 grams) on Friday and is being traded at Rs 102,500 per tola. The precious yellow metal was traded at Rs 102,600 per tola on the previous trading day (Thursday). </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"">Similarly, price of worked gold has been fixed at Rs 102,000 per tola against Rs 102,100 on the previous trading day, according to the Federation of Nepal Gold and Silver Dealers Association. </span><br /> <span style="font-family:"Arial Unicode MS","sans-serif"">Likewise, the price of silver has decreased Rs 5 per tola and is being traded at Rs 1,265 per tola, said the federation. -- RSS </span></span></span></p> ', 'published' => true, 'created' => '2023-03-03', 'modified' => '2023-03-03', 'keywords' => '', 'description' => '', 'sortorder' => '16909', 'image' => '20230303052144_gold.jpg', 'article_date' => '2023-03-03 17:21:06', 'homepage' => false, 'breaking_news' => false, 'main_news' => true, 'in_scroller' => null, 'user_id' => '34' ) ), (int) 6 => array( 'Article' => array( 'id' => '17170', 'article_category_id' => '1', 'title' => 'Nepali Tea Companies Win Gold Medal in International Competition ', 'sub_title' => '', 'summary' => ' Nepali tea producing companies have been awarded for their taste and quality in the international contest. Nepali tea companies won the gold and silver medals in “Second Tea Quality Competition in China” organized by China Tea Marketing Association from September 20 to 21, 2022.', 'content' => '<p><br /> <span style="font-size:18px">March 3: Nepali tea producing companies have been awarded for their taste and quality in the international contest. </span></p> <p><span style="font-size:18px">Nepali tea companies have won gold and silver medals in “Second Tea Quality Competition in China” organized by China Tea Marketing Association from September 20 to 21, 2022.</span></p> <p><span style="font-size:18px">At the programme organized by National Tea and Coffee Development Board in Kathmandu, the awards were distributed on Thursday. The board had collected 40 tea samples from across the country and sent 16 tea samples after test of their quality and taste to China for the competition. </span></p> <p><span style="font-size:18px">Tinjure Tea Farmer Cooperative Society Limited has bagged Pearl Golden Black tea award. Likewise, Farmer Tea Processing Industry’s FT Himalayn Gold, Himalayan Shangrila Tea Producers’ Shangrila gold, Gorkah Tea Estate Private Limited’s GTE Golden tea, Siddha Devi Tea Estate Private Limited’s Silver wings, and Kanchanjunga Organic Orthodox Tea Industry’s Golden Tips tea have won gold medals. </span></p> <p><span style="font-size:18px">In the same manner, Himalayan Shangrila Tea Producers’ Himlayan Sunrise Beauty, Shree Baraha Tea Industry’s Special black tea, Tinjure Farmer Cooperative Society Limited’s Normal Golden Black tea and Maina Pokhari Tea Processing Industry’s MP 10 Mirmire have won silver medals. </span></p> <p><span style="font-size:18px">Tea was planted in 16,917 hectares of the land and as many as 23,745 metric tons of tea was produced in the fiscal year of 2077/78 in Nepal. More than 17,000 tea farmers and over 60,000 workers are involved in the tea business at the moment.</span></p> <p><span style="font-size:18px">Nepal exported 11,920 metric tons of the tea worth Rs 3.79 billion in the last fiscal year, according to the Department of Customs. Tea farmers bemoan that they are selling their produce at low price despite its excellent quality. Nepal has a potential to export tea worth more than Rs 10 billion in a year. </span></p> ', 'published' => true, 'created' => '2023-03-03', 'modified' => '2023-03-03', 'keywords' => '', 'description' => '', 'sortorder' => '16908', 'image' => '20230303045430_collage - 2023-03-03T165309.178.jpg', 'article_date' => '2023-03-03 16:50:54', 'homepage' => false, 'breaking_news' => false, 'main_news' => true, 'in_scroller' => false, 'user_id' => '42' ) ), (int) 7 => array( 'Article' => array( 'id' => '17169', 'article_category_id' => '1', 'title' => 'Laxmi Intercontinental Launches Face-lifted Version of Grand i10 Nios,', 'sub_title' => '', 'summary' => 'Laxmi Intercontinental, the authorised distributor of Hyundai vehicles in Nepal, has launched the face-lifted version of its popular model Grand i10 Nios, highlighted as 'More The Merrier'. ', 'content' => '<p><span style="font-size:18px">March 3: Laxmi Intercontinental, the authorised distributor of Hyundai vehicles in Nepal, has launched the face-lifted version of its popular model Grand i10 Nios, highlighted as 'More The Merrier'. </span></p> <p><span style="font-size:18px">This hatchback segment is set to take the automotive segment to a new height, due to its new and innovative irresistible combination of cutting-edge technology, high performance, attractive design, distinctive features, and thoughtful safety features that cater to the modern driver's needs, says the company in its press statement. </span></p> <p><span style="font-size:18px">With its new benchmark-setting features, the Grand i10 Nios is anticipated to become another best-selling car in the Nepali market. </span></p> <p><span style="font-size:18px">Lightbar connected by LED Tail Lights on the rear part of the car has given a distinctive looks to the car. Similarly, painted Black Radiator Grille and LED Daytime Running Lamps(DRLS) on the front of the Grand i10 Nios have made the car stylish and sporty. </span></p> <p><span style="font-size:18px">The all-new Grand i10 Nios is available in Era, Magna, and Sportz variants in MT option and Magna and Sportz in AMT option with a starting price of Rs 2.996 million.</span></p> ', 'published' => true, 'created' => '2023-03-03', 'modified' => '2023-03-03', 'keywords' => '', 'description' => '', 'sortorder' => '16907', 'image' => '20230303040007_collage - 2023-03-03T155904.985.jpg', 'article_date' => '2023-03-03 15:56:34', 'homepage' => false, 'breaking_news' => false, 'main_news' => true, 'in_scroller' => false, 'user_id' => '42' ) ), (int) 8 => array( 'Article' => array( 'id' => '17168', 'article_category_id' => '1', 'title' => 'Public Declaration of Defaulting on Loans is Objectionable: Bankers', 'sub_title' => '', 'summary' => 'March 3: Umbrella organisations of banks and financial institutions (BFIs) have expressed concerns towards public statements made by the debtors that they will not pay back the loans.', 'content' => '<p><span style="font-size:12pt"><span style="font-family:"Times New Roman","serif"">March 3: Umbrella organisations of banks and financial institutions (BFIs) have expressed concerns towards public statements made by the debtors that they will not pay back the loans.</span></span></p> <p><span style="font-size:12pt"><span style="font-family:"Times New Roman","serif"">The BFIs have requested the government to check this troublesome trend on time.</span></span></p> <p><span style="font-size:12pt"><span style="font-family:"Times New Roman","serif"">Four umbrella organizations of BFIs issued a joint statement on Thursday and made such request to the government after attacks on bank employees and the formal declaration made by the defaulters that they will not pay back the loans.</span></span></p> <p><span style="font-size:12pt"><span style="font-family:"Times New Roman","serif"">Nepal Bankers Association, the umbrella organization of commercial banks, Development Bankers Association Nepal, the umbrella organization of development banks, Nepal Financial Institutions Association, the umbrella organization of finance companies, and Nepal Microfinance Bankers Association, the umbrella organization of microfinance companies, issued a joint statement and urged the government to control such chaotic activities.</span></span></p> <p><span style="font-size:12pt"><span style="font-family:"Times New Roman","serif"">The statement reads, “Recently, our attention has been drawn to the negative comments and agitation announced by some individuals against banks/financial and microfinance institutions and the threatening expressions and behavior to discourage bank employees. We are confident that the state's attention has gone towards controlling the incident in time.”</span></span></p> <p><span style="font-size:12pt"><span style="font-family:"Times New Roman","serif"">Banks and financial institutions have collected more than Rs 5400 billion deposits from over 483 million customers’ deposit accounts and have mobilized loans of more than Rs 4800 billion through more than 1.8 million borrowers. </span></span></p> <p><span style="font-size:12pt"><span style="font-family:"Times New Roman","serif"">This sector has created more than 530,00 direct jobs, paid more than Rs 34 billion in taxes to the state in the last fiscal year and have directly given more than Rs 10 billion to borrowers through interest rate discounts during the Covid-19 pandemic.</span></span></p> <p><span style="font-size:12pt"><span style="font-family:"Times New Roman","serif"">Similarly, in the remote areas of the country, microfinance institutions have provided services to more than 6 million depositors and more than 32 million borrowers, as well as created more than 23,000 direct jobs. Banks/financial and microfinance institutions are providing banking services subjected to the policies/instructions issued by the regulatory bodies and various laws and they are always aware of the rights and interests of their customers, added the statement.</span></span></p> <p><span style="font-size:12pt"><span style="font-family:"Times New Roman","serif"">They say that if there is any problem, it would be beneficial to discuss with the related organizations and proceed accordingly. Similarly, by making the banking sector stronger, the associations said they are expecting the support and cooperation of all stakeholders to help the economic development of the country.</span></span></p> <p> </p> ', 'published' => true, 'created' => '2023-03-03', 'modified' => '2023-03-03', 'keywords' => '', 'description' => '', 'sortorder' => '16906', 'image' => '20230303023829_Bad Loan.jpg', 'article_date' => '2023-03-03 14:37:42', 'homepage' => false, 'breaking_news' => false, 'main_news' => true, 'in_scroller' => null, 'user_id' => '34' ) ), (int) 9 => array( 'Article' => array( 'id' => '17167', 'article_category_id' => '1', 'title' => 'A Place Where Villagers have to Pay Money to Cross a River!', 'sub_title' => '', 'summary' => 'March 3: The locals of Bhajani Municipality of Kailali district have been dreaming of a concrete bridge for 12 years. ', 'content' => '<p><span style="font-size:12pt"><span style="font-family:"Times New Roman","serif""><span style="font-size:15.0pt"><span style="font-family:"Nirmala UI","sans-serif"">March 3: The locals of Bhajani Municipality of Kailali district have been dreaming of a concrete bridge for 12 years. The locals are hopeful the once the construction of the motorable bridge gets complete, they will no longer have to pay the money just to cross a river.</span></span></span></span></p> <p><span style="font-size:12pt"><span style="font-family:"Times New Roman","serif""><span style="font-size:15.0pt"><span style="font-family:"Nirmala UI","sans-serif"">The local residents of this municipality have to pay money to cross the Kandra and other rivers. </span></span></span></span></p> <p><span style="font-size:12pt"><span style="font-family:"Times New Roman","serif""><span style="font-size:15.0pt"><span style="font-family:"Nirmala UI","sans-serif"">"One has to pay Rs 30 per day just to cross the river to visit the municipality for daily work. That means, an individual has to pay Rs 900 per month only to cross the river," said Rupak Saud, a local. </span></span></span></span></p> <p><span style="font-size:12pt"><span style="font-family:"Times New Roman","serif""><span style="font-size:15.0pt"><span style="font-family:"Nirmala UI","sans-serif"">He says that the locals will have to suffer until a concrete bridge comes into operation. Saud says that the municipality is giving them trouble by collecting money for crossing a river.</span></span></span></span></p> <p><span style="font-size:12pt"><span style="font-family:"Times New Roman","serif""><span style="font-size:15.0pt"><span style="font-family:"Nirmala UI","sans-serif"">He added that the construction company that was awarded the contract to build a bridge is making profit by delaying the construction work.</span></span></span></span></p> <p><span style="font-size:12pt"><span style="font-family:"Times New Roman","serif""><span style="font-size:15.0pt"><span style="font-family:"Nirmala UI","sans-serif"">Big vehicles are made to cross the river instead of using the under-construction bridge. Another local Bhojraj Kafle says that the contractors in collusion with the local authorities collect money from vehicles while crossing the river. </span></span></span></span></p> <p><span style="font-size:12pt"><span style="font-family:"Times New Roman","serif""><span style="font-size:15.0pt"><span style="font-family:"Nirmala UI","sans-serif"">“It has been more than a decade since the construction of a concrete bridge over the Kandra River started. The middlemen are the reason why the bridge has not been built on time. There are people who collect hundreds of thousands of rupees annually in the name of river contracts," he says, "Otherwise, what is the reason that local stakeholders are not interested in the construction of the bridge?"</span></span></span></span></p> <p><span style="font-size:12pt"><span style="font-family:"Times New Roman","serif""><span style="font-size:15.0pt"><span style="font-family:"Nirmala UI","sans-serif"">The distance between Tikapur and Dhangadhi via the Postal Highway is 75 kilometers. Traveling through Mahendra Highway (East-West Highway) takes a little longer. </span></span></span></span></p> <p><span style="font-size:12pt"><span style="font-family:"Times New Roman","serif""><span style="font-size:15.0pt"><span style="font-family:"Nirmala UI","sans-serif"">Bintiram Chaudhury of Tikapur argues that the Postal Highway cannot be used right now due to the lack of a concrete bridge over the Kandra River. He said that he has to live in Kailari Rural Municipality because of his job and he has to pay for river crossing while returning home once a week.</span></span></span></span></p> <p><span style="font-size:12pt"><span style="font-family:"Times New Roman","serif""><span style="font-size:15.0pt"><span style="font-family:"Nirmala UI","sans-serif"">According to Chaudhary, the contractor says that they have paid money to the municipality to utilize the river under a contract.</span></span></span></span></p> <p><span style="font-size:12pt"><span style="font-family:"Times New Roman","serif""><span style="font-size:15.0pt"><span style="font-family:"Nirmala UI","sans-serif"">Therefore, they have been charging the locals for crossing the river.</span></span></span></span></p> <p><span style="font-size:12pt"><span style="font-family:"Times New Roman","serif""><span style="font-size:15.0pt"><span style="font-family:"Nirmala UI","sans-serif"">Bhajani Municipality has given Kandra River and its tributaries under a short-term contract. The contractor has been operating boats for fishing in the river. According to the municipality, the contract has been signed for one fiscal year and it has helped the municipality collect internal source of income. </span></span></span></span></p> <p><span style="font-size:12pt"><span style="font-family:"Times New Roman","serif""><span style="font-size:15.0pt"><span style="font-family:"Nirmala UI","sans-serif"">Mayor Keval Chaudhary says that the situation where citizens have to pay money to cross the Kandra River will end within this year.</span></span></span></span></p> <p><span style="font-size:12pt"><span style="font-family:"Times New Roman","serif""><span style="font-size:15.0pt"><span style="font-family:"Nirmala UI","sans-serif"">He said that the construction of a motorable bridge over the Kandra River along the Postal Highway is in the final stage and will come into operation in a few months. -- RSS</span></span></span></span></p> <p> </p> ', 'published' => true, 'created' => '2023-03-03', 'modified' => '2023-03-03', 'keywords' => '', 'description' => '', 'sortorder' => '16905', 'image' => '20230303012530_1677827539.कान्द्रा नदी पुल.jpg', 'article_date' => '2023-03-03 13:24:52', 'homepage' => false, 'breaking_news' => false, 'main_news' => true, 'in_scroller' => null, 'user_id' => '34' ) ), (int) 10 => array( 'Article' => array( 'id' => '17166', 'article_category_id' => '1', 'title' => 'Nepali Congress in a Comfortable Position to Win Presidential Election', 'sub_title' => '', 'summary' => 'March 3: Senior leader Ram Chandra Paudel of the Nepali Congress, the largest party in the House of Representatives, and Subas Chandra Nembang, the vice chairman of the second largest party, CPN-UML, are all set to contest in the presidential election on March 9.', 'content' => '<p><span style="font-size:11pt"><span style="font-family:Calibri,"sans-serif""><span style="font-size:14.0pt"><span style="font-family:"Arial","sans-serif"">March 3: Senior leader Ram Chandra Paudel of the Nepali Congress, the largest party in the House of Representatives, and Subas Chandra Nembang, the vice chairman of the second largest party, CPN-UML, are all set to contest in the presidential election on March 9.</span></span></span></span></p> <p><span style="font-size:11pt"><span style="font-family:Calibri,"sans-serif""><span style="font-size:14.0pt"><span style="font-family:"Arial","sans-serif"">After the registration of nominees, UML has intensified attempts to canvass votes for the election. On the other hand, the Nepali Congress seems to be in a comfortable position to secure majority votes with the backup of eight political parties. A new eight-party alliance has formed under the initiative of chairman of CPN (Maoist Center) Pushpa Kamal Dahal, who is also the prime minister, after his party decided to back NC candidate instead of UML.</span></span></span></span></p> <p><span style="font-size:11pt"><span style="font-family:Calibri,"sans-serif""><span style="font-size:14.0pt"><span style="font-family:"Arial","sans-serif"">The victory of NC candidate Paudel in the presidential election seems certain after receiving the votes of the coalition partners.</span></span></span></span></p> <p><span style="font-size:11pt"><span style="font-family:Calibri,"sans-serif""><span style="font-size:14.0pt"><span style="font-family:"Arial","sans-serif"">On the other hand, UML candidate Nembang is making attempts to turn the tide in his favour.</span></span></span></span></p> <p><span style="font-size:11pt"><span style="font-family:Calibri,"sans-serif""><span style="font-size:14.0pt"><span style="font-family:"Arial","sans-serif"">As the date of the election approaches, Nembang is meeting the leaders of various parties to canvass votes. On Thursday, he met CPN (Unified Socialist) Chairman Madhav Kumar Nepal and asked him to vote for him in the presidential election.</span></span></span></span></p> <p><span style="font-size:11pt"><span style="font-family:Calibri,"sans-serif""><span style="font-size:14.0pt"><span style="font-family:"Arial","sans-serif"">The CPN (Unified Socialist) is currently in the Nepali Congress-led eight-party alliance. The UML, which did not even want to recognize the party and did not even want to hear the name of the CPN United Socialist, sent a letter and asked for votes in favour of its candidate in the presidential election.</span></span></span></span></p> <p><span style="font-size:11pt"><span style="font-family:Calibri,"sans-serif""><span style="font-size:14.0pt"><span style="font-family:"Arial","sans-serif"">Similarly, Nembang also reached the office of Rastriya Swatantra Party (RSP) Nepal led by journalist-turned-politician Rabi Lamichhaneto to seek for votes. Not only Nembang, UML Chairman KP Oli is also asking for votes for his candidate. Oli asked National Assembly member Bamdev Gautam, who is also a former UML leader, to vote for Nembang in the presidential election.</span></span></span></span></p> <p><span style="font-size:11pt"><span style="font-family:Calibri,"sans-serif""><span style="font-size:14.0pt"><span style="font-family:"Arial","sans-serif"">However, the Nepali Congress has not made much effort except to send a letter to the UML and ask for votes because the party is already enjoys majority support in parliament. Paudel, who is a strong candidate to win the presidential election with the support from eight parties, is also asking for votes. A few days ago, he met Rabi Lamichhane, chairman of the RSP Nepal and asked him to vote for him in the presidential election.</span></span></span></span></p> <p><span style="font-size:11pt"><span style="font-family:Calibri,"sans-serif""><span style="font-size:14.0pt"><span style="font-family:"Arial","sans-serif"">Poudel has written letters to all MPs asking for their votes. </span></span></span></span></p> <p><span style="font-size:11pt"><span style="font-family:Calibri,"sans-serif""><span style="font-size:14.0pt"><span style="font-family:"Arial","sans-serif"">Paudel is seeking for votes by expressing his commitment to institutionalize a democratic republic and inclusive democracy.</span></span></span></span></p> <p><span style="font-size:11pt"><span style="font-family:Calibri,"sans-serif""><span style="font-size:14.0pt"><span style="font-family:"Arial","sans-serif"">According to the legal provisions regarding the election of the president and vice president, the presidential candidate must receive a majority of the total votes. In the event that no candidate gets the majority votes, there will be a voting again.</span></span></span></span></p> <p><span style="font-size:11pt"><span style="font-family:Calibri,"sans-serif""><span style="font-size:14.0pt"><span style="font-family:"Arial","sans-serif"">How many votes with whom?</span></span></span></span></p> <p><span style="font-size:11pt"><span style="font-family:Calibri,"sans-serif""><span style="font-size:14.0pt"><span style="font-family:"Arial","sans-serif"">A total of 333 members of the Federal Parliament (House of Representatives and National Assembly) and 550 members of the Provincial Assembly will vote in the presidential election. According to the law, one vote of the federal MP will carry the weight of 79 votes. Based on this, the total vote share of 332 MPs of the Federal Parliament (the position of one MP has been vacant) will be 26,228. Rabi Lamichhane, chairman of the RSP, who was elected as a member of the House of Representatives from Chitwan-2, was suspended by the Supreme Court.</span></span></span></span></p> <p><span style="font-size:11pt"><span style="font-family:Calibri,"sans-serif""><span style="font-size:14.0pt"><span style="font-family:"Arial","sans-serif"">Similarly, the weight of votes of provincial assembly members is 48. Based on this, the total number of votes of the members of the provincial assembly is 26,400. That makes the total number of votes in the presidential election 52,628. On this basis, more than 26,314 votes are required to be elected as the president. The Congress-led eight-party alliance has 31,821 votes. In this situation, Nembang will get 20,807 votes even if he gets the votes of all the others parties outside the eight-party alliance.</span></span></span></span></p> <p> </p> ', 'published' => true, 'created' => '2023-03-03', 'modified' => '2023-03-03', 'keywords' => '', 'description' => '', 'sortorder' => '16904', 'image' => '20230303113033_1677758905.President 1.jpg', 'article_date' => '2023-03-03 11:29:54', 'homepage' => false, 'breaking_news' => false, 'main_news' => true, 'in_scroller' => null, 'user_id' => '34' ) ), (int) 11 => array( 'Article' => array( 'id' => '17165', 'article_category_id' => '1', 'title' => 'Government Forms High-Level Taskforce to Study Cyber Security', 'sub_title' => '', 'summary' => 'March 3: The government has formed a high-level committee to prepare a comprehensive report on cyber security by incorporating issues related to policy, law, structure and process and making suggestions accordingly. ', 'content' => '<p><span style="font-size:11pt"><span style="font-family:Calibri,"sans-serif""><span style="font-family:"Arial Unicode MS","sans-serif"">March 3: The government has formed a high-level committee to prepare a comprehensive report on cyber security by incorporating issues related to policy, law, structure and process and making suggestions accordingly. </span><br /> <span style="font-family:"Arial Unicode MS","sans-serif"">The high-level taskforce was formed as per the decision of cabinet meeting on February 27 in response to the proposal presented by the Ministry of Communications and Information Technology. The taskforce has been given a month's time to submit the report. </span><br /> <span style="font-family:"Arial Unicode MS","sans-serif"">Information Ministry Secretary Dr Baikuntha Aryal said on Thursday that IT expert Juddha Bahadur Gurung has been appointed as the coordinator of the committee.</span><br /> <span style="font-family:"Arial Unicode MS","sans-serif"">Other members of the committee are Baburam Dawadi, Saroj Lamichhane, Mona Nyachchho, Prakash Rayamajhi and Bijay Gautam. Besides coordinator Gurung, all other members of the taskforce are from the Nepalese Army and the Nepal Police. </span><br /> <span style="font-family:"Arial Unicode MS","sans-serif"">The taskforce was handed over the responsibility amidst a programme at the ministry on Thursday. Addressing the programme, Minister for Communications and Information Technology Rekha Sharma said the ministry took the initiative to prepare the law and policy on cyber security after the country faced series of threats on this subject. </span><br /> <span style="font-family:"Arial Unicode MS","sans-serif"">She argued that cyber security is in the state's priority list because the country lacks proper regulations despite the use of all sorts of technologies available. </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"">"If cyber security policy is formulated and put in place with budget allocation on time, it would be a significant achievement in the sector of cyber security," she said. </span><br /> <span style="font-family:"Arial Unicode MS","sans-serif"">Secretary Aryal shared that the committee will not just undertake a general study of the pertinent issue, but conduct a comprehensive analysis which could be incorporated in the government policy, programmes and budget. “So, the taskforce has been given a significant responsibility,” he stressed. </span><br /> <span style="font-family:"Arial Unicode MS","sans-serif"">On February 27, the cabinet had decided to manage the data of all government bodies and IT systems in the integrated data centre. </span><br /> <span style="font-family:"Arial Unicode MS","sans-serif"">The taskforce will carry out a thorough study on problems of data management in the integrated data centre, reasons behind problems, flaws and measures to solve the problems. It will make recommendations at technical, human and managerial levels. -- RSS </span></span></span></p> ', 'published' => true, 'created' => '2023-03-03', 'modified' => '2023-03-03', 'keywords' => '', 'description' => '', 'sortorder' => '16903', 'image' => '20230303104736_Cybersecurity-importance - Copy.jpg', 'article_date' => '2023-03-03 10:46:56', 'homepage' => false, 'breaking_news' => false, 'main_news' => true, 'in_scroller' => null, 'user_id' => '34' ) ), (int) 12 => array( 'Article' => array( 'id' => '17164', 'article_category_id' => '268', 'title' => 'Tea Export Surges By 30 Percent ', 'sub_title' => '', 'summary' => 'The export of Nepali tea has increased by 30 percent. The export of Nepali tea has gone up by 29.9 percent in the first seven months of the current fiscal year compared to the same period last fiscal year, according to Trade and Export Promotion Center.', 'content' => '<p><span style="font-size:18px">March 3: The export of Nepali tea has increased by 30 percent. </span></p> <p><span style="font-size:18px">The export of Nepali tea has gone up by 29.9 percent in the first seven months of the current fiscal year compared to the same period last fiscal year, according to Trade and Export Promotion Center.</span></p> <p><span style="font-size:18px">Nepal had exported 7,846 metric tons of the tea worth Rs 2.8 billion in first seven months of the last fiscal year. During the same period in the current fiscal year, total tea export stood at 12,564 metric tons worth Rs 2.71 billion. </span></p> <p><span style="font-size:18px">Nepali tea is being exported to 166 countries including India, the United States of America, Germany and the United Kingdom. In the export of agricultural products, tea comes only after cardamom. </span></p> <p><span style="font-size:18px">According to National Tea and Coffee Development Board, Nepal had exported 11,920 metric tons of the tea worth Rs 3.79 billion in the fiscal year 2077/78.</span></p> <p><span style="font-size:18px"> Information Officer Dipak Khanal of the National Tea and Coffee Development Board said that the export quantity had witnessed massive rise as the tea from the last year's stock was also exported simultaneously.</span></p> <p><span style="font-size:18px">Saying that quality of Nepali tea was not at par with international standard, India had banned the mixing of Nepali tea with tea from Darjeeling last year. </span></p> <p><span style="font-size:18px">Nepali tea entrepreneurs had failed to export tea due to the Indian ban last year. As a result, 3,000 metric tons of tea was in stock in Jhapa. </span></p> <p><span style="font-size:18px">Following the Nepal government's diplomatic efforts, India had lifted the ban. </span></p> <p><span style="font-size:18px">Despite the increased demand for Nepali tea this year from different countries, selling of the stock tea was the main reason behind the rise of tea export this fiscal year, Khanal said. </span></p> ', 'published' => true, 'created' => '2023-03-03', 'modified' => '2023-03-03', 'keywords' => '', 'description' => '', 'sortorder' => '16902', 'image' => '20230303065340_collage (11).jpg', 'article_date' => '2023-03-03 06:40:44', 'homepage' => false, 'breaking_news' => false, 'main_news' => true, 'in_scroller' => false, 'user_id' => '42' ) ), (int) 13 => array( 'Article' => array( 'id' => '17163', 'article_category_id' => '1', 'title' => 'CD Ratio of Commercial Banks Start to Drop', 'sub_title' => '', 'summary' => 'March 2: After the tight monetary policy adopted by Nepal Rastra Bank (NRB) reduced credit expansion, the credit-deposit ratio (CD ratio) of commercial banks finally started to decline.', 'content' => '<p><span style="font-size:12pt"><span style="font-family:"Times New Roman","serif"">March 2: After the tight monetary policy adopted by Nepal Rastra Bank (NRB) reduced credit expansion, the credit-deposit ratio (CD ratio) of commercial banks finally started to decline. After the ease in CD ratio of the banks, which have been facing liquidity problem since the last fiscal year, their additional credit expansion capacity has reached more than Rs 175 billion.</span></span></p> <p><span style="font-size:12pt"><span style="font-family:"Times New Roman","serif"">According to NRB, the total deposits of banks and financial institutes (BFIs) have reached Rs 5377 billion as of Monday.</span></span></p> <p><span style="font-size:12pt"><span style="font-family:"Times New Roman","serif"">Out of this amount, commercial banks have deposits of Rs 4740 billion. With the average CD ratio of only 86.22 percent, they have the ability to extend loans of more than Rs 175 billion. As instructed by NRB, banks should maintain CD ratio within 90 percent.</span></span></p> <p><span style="font-size:12pt"><span style="font-family:"Times New Roman","serif"">According to the data published up to the period of mid-January of the current FY by NRB, the CD ratio of most of the commercial banks looks good. Among the 22 commercial banks in operation during this period, only Kumari Bank's CD ratio is higher than the limit set by NRB. Similarly, the CD ratio of Global IME Bank and Nabil Bank is close to 90 percent.</span></span></p> <p><span style="font-size:12pt"><span style="font-family:"Times New Roman","serif"">Standard Chartered Bank has the lowest CD ratio at 78.73 percent. Apart from this, NRB informed that the CD ratio of Rastriya Banijya Bank, Nepal Bank, Sanima Bank and SBI Bank is less than 85 percent.</span></span></p> <p><span style="font-size:12pt"><span style="font-family:"Times New Roman","serif"">Sunil KC, president of Nepal Bankers Association and CEO of NMB Bank, the CD ratio of banks has eased because the banks have not disbursed loans despite to good deposits mainly because of remittance inflow. </span></span></p> <p><span style="font-size:12pt"><span style="font-family:"Times New Roman","serif""> “Currently the CD ratio has eased as there is no demand for new loans in banks. Only small investments are being made to the customers and deposit growth rate is good as well. In recent times, loans have become expensive along with the lack of liquidity, deterring industrialists from taking new loans from banks. The industrialists are in a wait-and-watch state as there is also a movement against the banks’ interest rates,” said KC, adding, “Similarly, due to the impact of Covid-19 and the Russia-Ukraine tension, inflation has risen and economic activity has decreased, so the demand for loans in the market is low. However, since the rate of inflation has been decreasing recently and the economic indicators are easing, the bankers expect credit to expand gradually.”</span></span></p> <p><span style="font-size:12pt"><span style="font-family:"Times New Roman","serif""> KC says that the interest rates on bank deposits have started to decrease and borrowers will get relief by the next quarter. He said that the interest rate will also decrease due to the concession given by NRB by reducing the spread rate and bank rate.</span></span></p> <p><span style="font-size:12pt"><span style="font-family:"Times New Roman","serif"">After much criticism over the high interest rates of banks, NRB announced to reduce the spread rate of the banks through the first quarter review of the monetary policy of the current fiscal year. It issued instructions mid-December and asked banks to reduce the spread rate in two stages. According to the instructions, commercial banks will have to reduce the spread rate to 4.2 percent from mid-March 2023 and development banks and finance companies will have to reduce it to 4.8 percent. From mid-June 2023, commercial banks have to apply 4 percent spread rate and development banks and finance companies have to apply 4.6 percent. By reducing the spread rate till mid-April, the interest rate on loan will decline from mid-April.</span></span></p> <p><span style="font-size:12pt"><span style="font-family:"Times New Roman","serif"">Likewise, NRB reduced the overnight repo interest rate by 1.5 percentage points to 7.5 percent from the half-yearly review of monetary policy. It is also expected that the cost of capital of banks will decrease and the interest rate will decrease to some extent.</span></span></p> <p><span style="font-size:12pt"><span style="font-family:"Times New Roman","serif"">Anil Sharma, CEO of Bankers' Association said, “Now there is no room for banks' interest rates to go up. The policy concession given by NRB will also reduce the interest rate, but they will have to wait until the next quarter.”</span></span></p> <p> </p> ', 'published' => true, 'created' => '2023-03-02', 'modified' => '2023-03-02', 'keywords' => '', 'description' => '', 'sortorder' => '16901', 'image' => '20230302061305_Banks.jpg', 'article_date' => '2023-03-02 18:12:24', 'homepage' => false, 'breaking_news' => false, 'main_news' => true, 'in_scroller' => null, 'user_id' => '34' ) ), (int) 14 => array( 'Article' => array( 'id' => '17162', 'article_category_id' => '1', 'title' => ' DPM Shrestha to Leave for Doha to Participate in LDCs Conference on Friday ', 'sub_title' => '', 'summary' => 'Deputy Prime Minister and Minister for Physical Infrastructure and Transport Narayan Kaji Shrestha will be leaving for Doha of Qatar to take part in the Conference of the Least Developed Countries (LDCs) on Friday. ', 'content' => '<p> </p> <p>March 3: Deputy Prime Minister and Minister for Physical Infrastructure and Transport Narayan Kaji Shrestha will be leaving for Doha of Qatar to take part in the Conference of the Least Developed Countries (LDCs) on Friday. </p> <p>According to the Ministry of Foreign Affairs, the Deputy Prime Minister will be leading the Nepali delegation to the Fifth United Nations Conference on the Least Developed Countries (LDCs) to be held in Doha, the State of Qatar, from 5 to 9 March, 2023. </p> <p>Prior to the event, the Deputy Prime Minister will address the Summit of the LDC Group to be held on the 4th of March, coordinated by Malawi, the current chair of the LDC group. </p> <p>Nepal is scheduled to take the chairmanship of the group of LDCs this year. In Doha, the Deputy Prime Minister Shrestha is scheduled to address the plenary session of the Conference and hold bilateral meetings with delegations from different countries and organizations. </p> <p>Minister Shrestha will also interact with the representatives of the organizations of Nepali diaspora. The Nepali delegation will include Dr. Min Bahadur Shrestha, Vice-chairman of National Planning Commission, lawmaker Jitendra Narayan Dev, government secretaries and the ambassador of Nepal to the State of Qatar and other senior officials. The Deputy Prime Minister will return from Doha on March 7. ---RSS <br /> </p> ', 'published' => true, 'created' => '2023-03-02', 'modified' => '2023-03-02', 'keywords' => '', 'description' => '', 'sortorder' => '16900', 'image' => '20230302055454_collage - 2023-03-02T174415.054.jpg', 'article_date' => '2023-03-02 17:52:35', 'homepage' => false, 'breaking_news' => false, 'main_news' => true, 'in_scroller' => null, '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' => '17177', 'article_category_id' => '1', 'title' => 'Tremors Recorded in Achham and Kavre', 'sub_title' => '', 'summary' => 'March 5: Two earthquakes were recorded to have taken place in two different parts of the country this morning.', 'content' => '<p><span style="font-size:18px"><span style="font-family:Calibri,"sans-serif""><span style="font-family:"Arial Unicode MS","sans-serif"">March 5: Two earthquakes were recorded to have taken place in two different parts of the country this morning. The epicenters of the earthquakes were located at Patalkot of Achham and Kashikhand of Kavrepalanchok districts, according to the National Earthquake Monitoring and Research Center, Lainchaur, Kathmandu. </span><br /> <span style="font-family:"Arial Unicode MS","sans-serif"">The earthquake measuring 4.4 in the Richter scale occurred at 8:35 am in Achham while a magnitude 4.3 earthquake occurred in Kavrepalanchok at 8:03 am this morning (Sunday). </span><br /> <span style="font-family:"Arial Unicode MS","sans-serif"">There has been a rise in incidents of earthquakes in different parts of the country of late. -- RSS </span></span></span></p> ', 'published' => true, 'created' => '2023-03-05', 'modified' => '2023-03-05', 'keywords' => 'earthquake, quake, tremor, Richter, scale, measure, Nepal, Kavre, Achham, rising, epicentre', 'description' => '', 'sortorder' => '16915', 'image' => '20230305113159_earthquake-richter.jpg', 'article_date' => '2023-03-05 11:31:19', 'homepage' => false, 'breaking_news' => false, 'main_news' => true, 'in_scroller' => false, 'user_id' => '34' ) ), (int) 1 => array( 'Article' => array( 'id' => '17176', 'article_category_id' => '1', 'title' => 'Mardi Himal Trek Getting Electricity Facility ', 'sub_title' => '', 'summary' => 'March 5: The Mardi Himal trek, a lesser-known trekking route in the Annapurna region, is getting popularity of late by attracting both domestic and foreign tourists. ', 'content' => '<p><span style="font-size:18px"><span style="font-family:"Times New Roman","serif""><span style="font-family:"Arial Unicode MS","sans-serif"">March 5: The Mardi Himal trek, a lesser-known trekking route in the Annapurna region, is getting popularity of late by attracting both domestic and foreign tourists. </span><br /> <span style="font-family:"Arial Unicode MS","sans-serif"">The trekking route that offers majestic views of the Himalayan mountain range was almost forgotten until almost a decade ago. Its popularity has been lately increasing across the globe for being one of the best and challenging treks in the world. The trek is lined up with hospitality facilities including around 80 small and big hotels and restaurants to serve visiting tourists. </span><br /> <span style="font-family:"Arial Unicode MS","sans-serif"">However, there is a lack of variety of other facilities like electricity, internet and telephone. As a result, tourists and local people visiting the area have to suffer a lot. They have to face various problems like not getting their gadgets and electrical appliances charged. But, efforts are on to equip the trekking route with electricity, the locals said. </span><br /> <span style="font-family:"Arial Unicode MS","sans-serif"">The transmission line has reached up to Kalimati of Mardi, Ghalel and Pritam Daurali. The Nepal Electricity Authority (NEA) is at work to expand electricity along the trek under the initiative of the local tourism entrepreneurs and the Machhapuchre Rural Municipality. </span><br /> <span style="font-family:"Arial Unicode MS","sans-serif"">The NEA Gandaki Provincial Office has called for a bid to expand electricity up to the upper area of Mardi, said Ram Gurung, ward chair of the rural municipality-8.</span></span></span></p> <p><span style="font-size:18px"><span style="font-family:"Times New Roman","serif""><span style="font-family:"Arial Unicode MS","sans-serif"">"We had for long been demanding the electrification of Mardi. The NEA has started the process of expanding electricity. This will contribute to the local tourism," he said. </span><br /> <span style="font-family:"Arial Unicode MS","sans-serif"">The Pokhara distribution centre had last year carried out a study on expanding electricity to the upper camp through a high tension line from the transformer at Kalimati or Siding in the rural municipality. The NEA has prioritised the electricity expansion. </span><br /> <span style="font-family:"Arial Unicode MS","sans-serif"">The tourists have to face various problems without electricity ranging from not getting their gadgets charged, said owner of the local Mardi Himal eco village, Shiva Prasad Bhandari, also the founding secretary of the Mardi Himal trek management committee. </span><br /> <span style="font-family:"Arial Unicode MS","sans-serif"">Some areas of the village are provided with solar power and internet. But, they do not work properly when the weather is bad, he said. </span><br /> <span style="font-family:"Arial Unicode MS","sans-serif"">"The main problem here is lack of electricity. Tourists have been deprived of facilities without power. With the increasing inflow of tourists, the number of hotels has increased. But, many facilities are lacking. We are now encouraged by the NEA's initiatives to expand power," he said. -- RSS </span></span></span></p> <p> </p> ', 'published' => true, 'created' => '2023-03-05', 'modified' => '2023-03-05', 'keywords' => '', 'description' => '', 'sortorder' => '16914', 'image' => '20230305101707_20230304102843_20220718030551_fishtail-seen-from-mardi-himal-base-camp.jpg', 'article_date' => '2023-03-05 10:16:02', 'homepage' => false, 'breaking_news' => false, 'main_news' => true, 'in_scroller' => null, 'user_id' => '34' ) ), (int) 2 => array( 'Article' => array( 'id' => '17175', 'article_category_id' => '277', 'title' => 'Sugar Mill Faces Sugarcane Scarcity ', 'sub_title' => '', 'summary' => 'Baba Baijanath Sugar Mill has not been able to crush sugarcanes in accordance with its capacity in Rautahat. ', 'content' => '<p><span style="font-size:18px">March 5: Baba Baijanath Sugar Mill has not been able to crush sugarcanes in accordance with its capacity in Rautahat. </span></p> <p><span style="font-size:18px">Following the decline of sugarcane production in the district, the mill has been experiencing dearth of sugarcanes for the last few years. The mill has capacity to crush 20,000 quintals of sugarcane in a day. The mill, however, is crushing the less than 7,000 quintals of the sugarcane on a daily basis. </span></p> <p><span style="font-size:18px">Sugar Mill Proprietor Baiju Babara complained that sugarcane shortage had put the mill on the verge of closure. <br /> The mill had crushed just 0.6 million quintals of sugarcane last year. “Operating the mill below its capacity has incurred heavy loss for the mill,” said Babara. </span></p> <p><span style="font-size:18px">Farmers have reduced the cultivation of the sugarcane due to some sugar mills’ failure to pay the farmers on regular basis. Mill proprietor Babara says that his mill has no issue regarding the payment to the sugarcane farmers. “We have been paying the sugarcane farmers at their doorstep and encouraging them. Despite this, the production has declined,” Babara said.</span></p> <p><span style="font-size:18px">Farmers from Bara and Sarlahi used to sell sugarcane to the mill. The government ban to sell sugarcane from one district to another has aggravated the scarcity of the sugarcane, according to Barabara. </span></p> <p><span style="font-size:18px">Baijanath Sugar Mill has been helping farmers with seed, fertilizer and payment at their place. Besides, the mill has also provided a cane harvester to the farmers.</span></p> <p><span style="font-size:18px">Rautahat used to produce more than 2 million quintals of sugarcane in the past. The sugarcane production stands at between 1 to 1.2 million quintals a year at the moment, according to Sugarcane Producers’ Association Rautahat said. The mill has to be shut down earlier though the mill would operate till April in normal condition, said Baijanath. </span></p> <p><br /> </p> ', 'published' => true, 'created' => '2023-03-05', 'modified' => '2023-03-05', 'keywords' => '', 'description' => '', 'sortorder' => '16913', 'image' => '20230305070954_collage (13).jpg', 'article_date' => '2023-03-05 07:06:20', 'homepage' => false, 'breaking_news' => false, 'main_news' => true, 'in_scroller' => false, 'user_id' => '42' ) ), (int) 3 => array( 'Article' => array( 'id' => '17173', 'article_category_id' => '1', 'title' => 'Increase in Hotel Bookings Signals Revival of Tourism Sector', 'sub_title' => '', 'summary' => 'March 4: Foreign tourists are gradually starting to appear in Thamel, the major tourist hub in the federal capital, Kathmandu. ', 'content' => '<p><span style="font-size:11pt"><span style="font-family:Calibri,"sans-serif""><span style="font-family:"Arial Unicode MS","sans-serif"">March 4: Foreign tourists are gradually starting to appear in Thamel, the major tourist hub in the federal capital, Kathmandu. </span><br /> <span style="font-family:"Arial Unicode MS","sans-serif"">With the reappearance of large number of tourists in the streets of Thamel, tourism entrepreneurs are hoping for a revival of their business, severely hit by the COVID-19 pandemic. </span><br /> <span style="font-family:"Arial Unicode MS","sans-serif"">"The tourism sector of Nepal, which has been suffering since the coronavirus pandemic for a long time, is happy with the arrival of tourists," said President of Trekking Agencies Association of Nepal (TAAN), Nilhari Bastola. </span><br /> <span style="font-family:"Arial Unicode MS","sans-serif"">The months of March, April and May are considered as the start of tourist season in Nepal. The number of hotel bookings by foreign tourists has increased with the start of the tourist season, said Gopal Pangeni, the owner of a four-star hotel, Ramada Encore, in Thamel. He said that 70 percent rooms in his hotel with 92 rooms, have been booked for March and 90 percent for April and May. </span><br /> <span style="font-family:"Arial Unicode MS","sans-serif"">This shows that that the tourism sector of Nepal will gradually gain momentum in the months to come. </span><br /> <span style="font-family:"Arial Unicode MS","sans-serif"">More than 80 percent of the tourism business in Thamel relies on foreign tourists while 20 percent of the business comes from domestic tourists. There are more than a thousand hotels in and around the Thamel area. </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"">"Foreign tourists have gradually started to be seen in the inner streets of Thamel," said President of Thamel Tourism Development Council Bhaviswar Sharma. </span><br /> <span style="font-family:"Arial Unicode MS","sans-serif"">Likewise, the guests coming for late-night entertainment have also started getting crowded. During the weekends on Friday and Saturday, there is more activity in Thamel. Night clubs in Thamel have also started to return to usual business. </span><br /> <span style="font-family:"Arial Unicode MS","sans-serif"">Proprietor of the Shot Station Restaurant and Bar, Dharmaraj Paneru, said that the number of foreign guests who come to Thamel for entertainment at night has increased. "Since the last 15 days, the night business is gradually getting better, which has made us happy," he says. </span><br /> <span style="font-family:"Arial Unicode MS","sans-serif"">Director of Nepal Tourism Board Maniraj Lamichhane says that the arrival of foreign tourists is encouraging in recent days. </span><br /> <span style="font-family:"Arial Unicode MS","sans-serif"">A total of 73,255 tourists visited Nepal by air in the month of February 2023. In January the number was 55,074. Last year in February only 19,766 tourists had arrived in Nepal while it was just 9,146 tourists in 2021, according to records maintained by the NTB. -- RSS</span></span></span></p> ', 'published' => true, 'created' => '2023-03-04', 'modified' => '2023-03-04', 'keywords' => '', 'description' => '', 'sortorder' => '16911', 'image' => '20230304100605_20200306100011_20200130020146_hotels.jpg', 'article_date' => '2023-03-04 22:05:37', 'homepage' => false, 'breaking_news' => false, 'main_news' => true, 'in_scroller' => null, 'user_id' => '34' ) ), (int) 4 => array( 'Article' => array( 'id' => '17172', 'article_category_id' => '1', 'title' => ' Event on Climate Change to Take Place at Syangboche on March 8 ', 'sub_title' => '', 'summary' => 'March 3: A special programme has been scheduled to take place at Syangboche of Solukhumbu on coming March 8 on the occasion of the International Women's Day. ', 'content' => '<p><span style="font-size:11pt"><span style="font-family:Calibri,"sans-serif""><span style="font-family:"Arial Unicode MS","sans-serif"">March 3: A special programme has been scheduled to take place at Syangboche of Solukhumbu on coming March 8 on the occasion of the International Women's Day. </span><br /> <span style="font-family:"Arial Unicode MS","sans-serif"">The event aims to draw the global attention towards the impact of climate change on mountain life and call for climate justice to the affected community. </span><br /> <span style="font-family:"Arial Unicode MS","sans-serif""> The event to be organised by 'Sath Saathai' a women-focused non-profitable organisation, is supported by the Ministry of Forest and Environment, Ministry of Culture, Tourism and Civil Aviation, UNDP, ICIMOD, NTNC, and Embassy of the United Arab Emirates in Nepal. </span><br /> <span style="font-family:"Arial Unicode MS","sans-serif""> The organisation hosted the 'Mission to Kalpathhar' campaign last year on the occasion of International Women's Day and it concluded by issuing the 10-point Kalapaththar declaration. </span><br /> <span style="font-family:"Arial Unicode MS","sans-serif"">According to organisation chair Prajeeta Karki, following the Kalapaththar declaration, the organisation has decided to reach the site each year with programme aiming to advocate for and promote climate justice. </span><br /> <span style="font-family:"Arial Unicode MS","sans-serif"">Deputy Speaker Indira Rana Magar, Supreme Court judge Sapana Pradhan Malla, National Assembly member and former Minister Dr Bimala Paudyal Rai, representatives from the UAE Embassy and climate experts are among those attending the event. </span><br /> <span style="font-family:"Arial Unicode MS","sans-serif"">"Through the event, we want to create pressure on the bodies concern and the government to raise the issues about climate change impact on mountain life seriously during 28th Conference of the Parties to the UN Framework Convention on Climate Change (COP28), 2023 to be hosted by the UAE. </span><br /> <span style="font-family:"Arial Unicode MS","sans-serif"">The organisation has planned another seminar at Namche of Solukhumbu aiming to highlight the impact of climate change on women's life. </span><br /> <span style="font-family:"Arial Unicode MS","sans-serif"">The objectives of programes are to empower women for climate change-resilient societies, to seek support from the international community for the empowerment of target groups and to draw the global attention towards challenges caused climate change in the mountainous and low-lying areas and snow melting as a consequences of climate change. </span><br /> <span style="font-family:"Arial Unicode MS","sans-serif""> In addition to this, a national level dialogue on the 'Gravity of Climate Change and Climate Justice' has been scheduled to take place in Kathmandu on coming March 17. -- RSS </span></span></span></p> ', 'published' => true, 'created' => '2023-03-03', 'modified' => '2023-03-03', 'keywords' => '', 'description' => '', 'sortorder' => '16910', 'image' => '20230303055602_a19d4bd5373c6d71741e191658b7bee2.jpg', 'article_date' => '2023-03-03 17:55:40', 'homepage' => false, 'breaking_news' => false, 'main_news' => true, 'in_scroller' => null, 'user_id' => '34' ) ), (int) 5 => array( 'Article' => array( 'id' => '17171', 'article_category_id' => '1', 'title' => 'Price of Gold Drops by Rs 100 Per Tola', 'sub_title' => '', 'summary' => 'March 3: The price of gold has declined by Rs 100 per tola (11.66 grams) on Friday and is being traded at Rs 102,500 per tola.', 'content' => '<p><span style="font-size:11pt"><span style="font-family:Calibri,"sans-serif""><span style="font-family:"Arial Unicode MS","sans-serif"">March 3: The price of gold has declined by Rs 100 per tola (11.66 grams) on Friday and is being traded at Rs 102,500 per tola. The precious yellow metal was traded at Rs 102,600 per tola on the previous trading day (Thursday). </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"">Similarly, price of worked gold has been fixed at Rs 102,000 per tola against Rs 102,100 on the previous trading day, according to the Federation of Nepal Gold and Silver Dealers Association. </span><br /> <span style="font-family:"Arial Unicode MS","sans-serif"">Likewise, the price of silver has decreased Rs 5 per tola and is being traded at Rs 1,265 per tola, said the federation. -- RSS </span></span></span></p> ', 'published' => true, 'created' => '2023-03-03', 'modified' => '2023-03-03', 'keywords' => '', 'description' => '', 'sortorder' => '16909', 'image' => '20230303052144_gold.jpg', 'article_date' => '2023-03-03 17:21:06', 'homepage' => false, 'breaking_news' => false, 'main_news' => true, 'in_scroller' => null, 'user_id' => '34' ) ), (int) 6 => array( 'Article' => array( 'id' => '17170', 'article_category_id' => '1', 'title' => 'Nepali Tea Companies Win Gold Medal in International Competition ', 'sub_title' => '', 'summary' => ' Nepali tea producing companies have been awarded for their taste and quality in the international contest. Nepali tea companies won the gold and silver medals in “Second Tea Quality Competition in China” organized by China Tea Marketing Association from September 20 to 21, 2022.', 'content' => '<p><br /> <span style="font-size:18px">March 3: Nepali tea producing companies have been awarded for their taste and quality in the international contest. </span></p> <p><span style="font-size:18px">Nepali tea companies have won gold and silver medals in “Second Tea Quality Competition in China” organized by China Tea Marketing Association from September 20 to 21, 2022.</span></p> <p><span style="font-size:18px">At the programme organized by National Tea and Coffee Development Board in Kathmandu, the awards were distributed on Thursday. The board had collected 40 tea samples from across the country and sent 16 tea samples after test of their quality and taste to China for the competition. </span></p> <p><span style="font-size:18px">Tinjure Tea Farmer Cooperative Society Limited has bagged Pearl Golden Black tea award. Likewise, Farmer Tea Processing Industry’s FT Himalayn Gold, Himalayan Shangrila Tea Producers’ Shangrila gold, Gorkah Tea Estate Private Limited’s GTE Golden tea, Siddha Devi Tea Estate Private Limited’s Silver wings, and Kanchanjunga Organic Orthodox Tea Industry’s Golden Tips tea have won gold medals. </span></p> <p><span style="font-size:18px">In the same manner, Himalayan Shangrila Tea Producers’ Himlayan Sunrise Beauty, Shree Baraha Tea Industry’s Special black tea, Tinjure Farmer Cooperative Society Limited’s Normal Golden Black tea and Maina Pokhari Tea Processing Industry’s MP 10 Mirmire have won silver medals. </span></p> <p><span style="font-size:18px">Tea was planted in 16,917 hectares of the land and as many as 23,745 metric tons of tea was produced in the fiscal year of 2077/78 in Nepal. More than 17,000 tea farmers and over 60,000 workers are involved in the tea business at the moment.</span></p> <p><span style="font-size:18px">Nepal exported 11,920 metric tons of the tea worth Rs 3.79 billion in the last fiscal year, according to the Department of Customs. Tea farmers bemoan that they are selling their produce at low price despite its excellent quality. Nepal has a potential to export tea worth more than Rs 10 billion in a year. </span></p> ', 'published' => true, 'created' => '2023-03-03', 'modified' => '2023-03-03', 'keywords' => '', 'description' => '', 'sortorder' => '16908', 'image' => '20230303045430_collage - 2023-03-03T165309.178.jpg', 'article_date' => '2023-03-03 16:50:54', 'homepage' => false, 'breaking_news' => false, 'main_news' => true, 'in_scroller' => false, 'user_id' => '42' ) ), (int) 7 => array( 'Article' => array( 'id' => '17169', 'article_category_id' => '1', 'title' => 'Laxmi Intercontinental Launches Face-lifted Version of Grand i10 Nios,', 'sub_title' => '', 'summary' => 'Laxmi Intercontinental, the authorised distributor of Hyundai vehicles in Nepal, has launched the face-lifted version of its popular model Grand i10 Nios, highlighted as 'More The Merrier'. ', 'content' => '<p><span style="font-size:18px">March 3: Laxmi Intercontinental, the authorised distributor of Hyundai vehicles in Nepal, has launched the face-lifted version of its popular model Grand i10 Nios, highlighted as 'More The Merrier'. </span></p> <p><span style="font-size:18px">This hatchback segment is set to take the automotive segment to a new height, due to its new and innovative irresistible combination of cutting-edge technology, high performance, attractive design, distinctive features, and thoughtful safety features that cater to the modern driver's needs, says the company in its press statement. </span></p> <p><span style="font-size:18px">With its new benchmark-setting features, the Grand i10 Nios is anticipated to become another best-selling car in the Nepali market. </span></p> <p><span style="font-size:18px">Lightbar connected by LED Tail Lights on the rear part of the car has given a distinctive looks to the car. Similarly, painted Black Radiator Grille and LED Daytime Running Lamps(DRLS) on the front of the Grand i10 Nios have made the car stylish and sporty. </span></p> <p><span style="font-size:18px">The all-new Grand i10 Nios is available in Era, Magna, and Sportz variants in MT option and Magna and Sportz in AMT option with a starting price of Rs 2.996 million.</span></p> ', 'published' => true, 'created' => '2023-03-03', 'modified' => '2023-03-03', 'keywords' => '', 'description' => '', 'sortorder' => '16907', 'image' => '20230303040007_collage - 2023-03-03T155904.985.jpg', 'article_date' => '2023-03-03 15:56:34', 'homepage' => false, 'breaking_news' => false, 'main_news' => true, 'in_scroller' => false, 'user_id' => '42' ) ), (int) 8 => array( 'Article' => array( 'id' => '17168', 'article_category_id' => '1', 'title' => 'Public Declaration of Defaulting on Loans is Objectionable: Bankers', 'sub_title' => '', 'summary' => 'March 3: Umbrella organisations of banks and financial institutions (BFIs) have expressed concerns towards public statements made by the debtors that they will not pay back the loans.', 'content' => '<p><span style="font-size:12pt"><span style="font-family:"Times New Roman","serif"">March 3: Umbrella organisations of banks and financial institutions (BFIs) have expressed concerns towards public statements made by the debtors that they will not pay back the loans.</span></span></p> <p><span style="font-size:12pt"><span style="font-family:"Times New Roman","serif"">The BFIs have requested the government to check this troublesome trend on time.</span></span></p> <p><span style="font-size:12pt"><span style="font-family:"Times New Roman","serif"">Four umbrella organizations of BFIs issued a joint statement on Thursday and made such request to the government after attacks on bank employees and the formal declaration made by the defaulters that they will not pay back the loans.</span></span></p> <p><span style="font-size:12pt"><span style="font-family:"Times New Roman","serif"">Nepal Bankers Association, the umbrella organization of commercial banks, Development Bankers Association Nepal, the umbrella organization of development banks, Nepal Financial Institutions Association, the umbrella organization of finance companies, and Nepal Microfinance Bankers Association, the umbrella organization of microfinance companies, issued a joint statement and urged the government to control such chaotic activities.</span></span></p> <p><span style="font-size:12pt"><span style="font-family:"Times New Roman","serif"">The statement reads, “Recently, our attention has been drawn to the negative comments and agitation announced by some individuals against banks/financial and microfinance institutions and the threatening expressions and behavior to discourage bank employees. We are confident that the state's attention has gone towards controlling the incident in time.”</span></span></p> <p><span style="font-size:12pt"><span style="font-family:"Times New Roman","serif"">Banks and financial institutions have collected more than Rs 5400 billion deposits from over 483 million customers’ deposit accounts and have mobilized loans of more than Rs 4800 billion through more than 1.8 million borrowers. </span></span></p> <p><span style="font-size:12pt"><span style="font-family:"Times New Roman","serif"">This sector has created more than 530,00 direct jobs, paid more than Rs 34 billion in taxes to the state in the last fiscal year and have directly given more than Rs 10 billion to borrowers through interest rate discounts during the Covid-19 pandemic.</span></span></p> <p><span style="font-size:12pt"><span style="font-family:"Times New Roman","serif"">Similarly, in the remote areas of the country, microfinance institutions have provided services to more than 6 million depositors and more than 32 million borrowers, as well as created more than 23,000 direct jobs. Banks/financial and microfinance institutions are providing banking services subjected to the policies/instructions issued by the regulatory bodies and various laws and they are always aware of the rights and interests of their customers, added the statement.</span></span></p> <p><span style="font-size:12pt"><span style="font-family:"Times New Roman","serif"">They say that if there is any problem, it would be beneficial to discuss with the related organizations and proceed accordingly. Similarly, by making the banking sector stronger, the associations said they are expecting the support and cooperation of all stakeholders to help the economic development of the country.</span></span></p> <p> </p> ', 'published' => true, 'created' => '2023-03-03', 'modified' => '2023-03-03', 'keywords' => '', 'description' => '', 'sortorder' => '16906', 'image' => '20230303023829_Bad Loan.jpg', 'article_date' => '2023-03-03 14:37:42', 'homepage' => false, 'breaking_news' => false, 'main_news' => true, 'in_scroller' => null, 'user_id' => '34' ) ), (int) 9 => array( 'Article' => array( 'id' => '17167', 'article_category_id' => '1', 'title' => 'A Place Where Villagers have to Pay Money to Cross a River!', 'sub_title' => '', 'summary' => 'March 3: The locals of Bhajani Municipality of Kailali district have been dreaming of a concrete bridge for 12 years. ', 'content' => '<p><span style="font-size:12pt"><span style="font-family:"Times New Roman","serif""><span style="font-size:15.0pt"><span style="font-family:"Nirmala UI","sans-serif"">March 3: The locals of Bhajani Municipality of Kailali district have been dreaming of a concrete bridge for 12 years. The locals are hopeful the once the construction of the motorable bridge gets complete, they will no longer have to pay the money just to cross a river.</span></span></span></span></p> <p><span style="font-size:12pt"><span style="font-family:"Times New Roman","serif""><span style="font-size:15.0pt"><span style="font-family:"Nirmala UI","sans-serif"">The local residents of this municipality have to pay money to cross the Kandra and other rivers. </span></span></span></span></p> <p><span style="font-size:12pt"><span style="font-family:"Times New Roman","serif""><span style="font-size:15.0pt"><span style="font-family:"Nirmala UI","sans-serif"">"One has to pay Rs 30 per day just to cross the river to visit the municipality for daily work. That means, an individual has to pay Rs 900 per month only to cross the river," said Rupak Saud, a local. </span></span></span></span></p> <p><span style="font-size:12pt"><span style="font-family:"Times New Roman","serif""><span style="font-size:15.0pt"><span style="font-family:"Nirmala UI","sans-serif"">He says that the locals will have to suffer until a concrete bridge comes into operation. Saud says that the municipality is giving them trouble by collecting money for crossing a river.</span></span></span></span></p> <p><span style="font-size:12pt"><span style="font-family:"Times New Roman","serif""><span style="font-size:15.0pt"><span style="font-family:"Nirmala UI","sans-serif"">He added that the construction company that was awarded the contract to build a bridge is making profit by delaying the construction work.</span></span></span></span></p> <p><span style="font-size:12pt"><span style="font-family:"Times New Roman","serif""><span style="font-size:15.0pt"><span style="font-family:"Nirmala UI","sans-serif"">Big vehicles are made to cross the river instead of using the under-construction bridge. Another local Bhojraj Kafle says that the contractors in collusion with the local authorities collect money from vehicles while crossing the river. </span></span></span></span></p> <p><span style="font-size:12pt"><span style="font-family:"Times New Roman","serif""><span style="font-size:15.0pt"><span style="font-family:"Nirmala UI","sans-serif"">“It has been more than a decade since the construction of a concrete bridge over the Kandra River started. The middlemen are the reason why the bridge has not been built on time. There are people who collect hundreds of thousands of rupees annually in the name of river contracts," he says, "Otherwise, what is the reason that local stakeholders are not interested in the construction of the bridge?"</span></span></span></span></p> <p><span style="font-size:12pt"><span style="font-family:"Times New Roman","serif""><span style="font-size:15.0pt"><span style="font-family:"Nirmala UI","sans-serif"">The distance between Tikapur and Dhangadhi via the Postal Highway is 75 kilometers. Traveling through Mahendra Highway (East-West Highway) takes a little longer. </span></span></span></span></p> <p><span style="font-size:12pt"><span style="font-family:"Times New Roman","serif""><span style="font-size:15.0pt"><span style="font-family:"Nirmala UI","sans-serif"">Bintiram Chaudhury of Tikapur argues that the Postal Highway cannot be used right now due to the lack of a concrete bridge over the Kandra River. He said that he has to live in Kailari Rural Municipality because of his job and he has to pay for river crossing while returning home once a week.</span></span></span></span></p> <p><span style="font-size:12pt"><span style="font-family:"Times New Roman","serif""><span style="font-size:15.0pt"><span style="font-family:"Nirmala UI","sans-serif"">According to Chaudhary, the contractor says that they have paid money to the municipality to utilize the river under a contract.</span></span></span></span></p> <p><span style="font-size:12pt"><span style="font-family:"Times New Roman","serif""><span style="font-size:15.0pt"><span style="font-family:"Nirmala UI","sans-serif"">Therefore, they have been charging the locals for crossing the river.</span></span></span></span></p> <p><span style="font-size:12pt"><span style="font-family:"Times New Roman","serif""><span style="font-size:15.0pt"><span style="font-family:"Nirmala UI","sans-serif"">Bhajani Municipality has given Kandra River and its tributaries under a short-term contract. The contractor has been operating boats for fishing in the river. According to the municipality, the contract has been signed for one fiscal year and it has helped the municipality collect internal source of income. </span></span></span></span></p> <p><span style="font-size:12pt"><span style="font-family:"Times New Roman","serif""><span style="font-size:15.0pt"><span style="font-family:"Nirmala UI","sans-serif"">Mayor Keval Chaudhary says that the situation where citizens have to pay money to cross the Kandra River will end within this year.</span></span></span></span></p> <p><span style="font-size:12pt"><span style="font-family:"Times New Roman","serif""><span style="font-size:15.0pt"><span style="font-family:"Nirmala UI","sans-serif"">He said that the construction of a motorable bridge over the Kandra River along the Postal Highway is in the final stage and will come into operation in a few months. -- RSS</span></span></span></span></p> <p> </p> ', 'published' => true, 'created' => '2023-03-03', 'modified' => '2023-03-03', 'keywords' => '', 'description' => '', 'sortorder' => '16905', 'image' => '20230303012530_1677827539.कान्द्रा नदी पुल.jpg', 'article_date' => '2023-03-03 13:24:52', 'homepage' => false, 'breaking_news' => false, 'main_news' => true, 'in_scroller' => null, 'user_id' => '34' ) ), (int) 10 => array( 'Article' => array( 'id' => '17166', 'article_category_id' => '1', 'title' => 'Nepali Congress in a Comfortable Position to Win Presidential Election', 'sub_title' => '', 'summary' => 'March 3: Senior leader Ram Chandra Paudel of the Nepali Congress, the largest party in the House of Representatives, and Subas Chandra Nembang, the vice chairman of the second largest party, CPN-UML, are all set to contest in the presidential election on March 9.', 'content' => '<p><span style="font-size:11pt"><span style="font-family:Calibri,"sans-serif""><span style="font-size:14.0pt"><span style="font-family:"Arial","sans-serif"">March 3: Senior leader Ram Chandra Paudel of the Nepali Congress, the largest party in the House of Representatives, and Subas Chandra Nembang, the vice chairman of the second largest party, CPN-UML, are all set to contest in the presidential election on March 9.</span></span></span></span></p> <p><span style="font-size:11pt"><span style="font-family:Calibri,"sans-serif""><span style="font-size:14.0pt"><span style="font-family:"Arial","sans-serif"">After the registration of nominees, UML has intensified attempts to canvass votes for the election. On the other hand, the Nepali Congress seems to be in a comfortable position to secure majority votes with the backup of eight political parties. A new eight-party alliance has formed under the initiative of chairman of CPN (Maoist Center) Pushpa Kamal Dahal, who is also the prime minister, after his party decided to back NC candidate instead of UML.</span></span></span></span></p> <p><span style="font-size:11pt"><span style="font-family:Calibri,"sans-serif""><span style="font-size:14.0pt"><span style="font-family:"Arial","sans-serif"">The victory of NC candidate Paudel in the presidential election seems certain after receiving the votes of the coalition partners.</span></span></span></span></p> <p><span style="font-size:11pt"><span style="font-family:Calibri,"sans-serif""><span style="font-size:14.0pt"><span style="font-family:"Arial","sans-serif"">On the other hand, UML candidate Nembang is making attempts to turn the tide in his favour.</span></span></span></span></p> <p><span style="font-size:11pt"><span style="font-family:Calibri,"sans-serif""><span style="font-size:14.0pt"><span style="font-family:"Arial","sans-serif"">As the date of the election approaches, Nembang is meeting the leaders of various parties to canvass votes. On Thursday, he met CPN (Unified Socialist) Chairman Madhav Kumar Nepal and asked him to vote for him in the presidential election.</span></span></span></span></p> <p><span style="font-size:11pt"><span style="font-family:Calibri,"sans-serif""><span style="font-size:14.0pt"><span style="font-family:"Arial","sans-serif"">The CPN (Unified Socialist) is currently in the Nepali Congress-led eight-party alliance. The UML, which did not even want to recognize the party and did not even want to hear the name of the CPN United Socialist, sent a letter and asked for votes in favour of its candidate in the presidential election.</span></span></span></span></p> <p><span style="font-size:11pt"><span style="font-family:Calibri,"sans-serif""><span style="font-size:14.0pt"><span style="font-family:"Arial","sans-serif"">Similarly, Nembang also reached the office of Rastriya Swatantra Party (RSP) Nepal led by journalist-turned-politician Rabi Lamichhaneto to seek for votes. Not only Nembang, UML Chairman KP Oli is also asking for votes for his candidate. Oli asked National Assembly member Bamdev Gautam, who is also a former UML leader, to vote for Nembang in the presidential election.</span></span></span></span></p> <p><span style="font-size:11pt"><span style="font-family:Calibri,"sans-serif""><span style="font-size:14.0pt"><span style="font-family:"Arial","sans-serif"">However, the Nepali Congress has not made much effort except to send a letter to the UML and ask for votes because the party is already enjoys majority support in parliament. Paudel, who is a strong candidate to win the presidential election with the support from eight parties, is also asking for votes. A few days ago, he met Rabi Lamichhane, chairman of the RSP Nepal and asked him to vote for him in the presidential election.</span></span></span></span></p> <p><span style="font-size:11pt"><span style="font-family:Calibri,"sans-serif""><span style="font-size:14.0pt"><span style="font-family:"Arial","sans-serif"">Poudel has written letters to all MPs asking for their votes. </span></span></span></span></p> <p><span style="font-size:11pt"><span style="font-family:Calibri,"sans-serif""><span style="font-size:14.0pt"><span style="font-family:"Arial","sans-serif"">Paudel is seeking for votes by expressing his commitment to institutionalize a democratic republic and inclusive democracy.</span></span></span></span></p> <p><span style="font-size:11pt"><span style="font-family:Calibri,"sans-serif""><span style="font-size:14.0pt"><span style="font-family:"Arial","sans-serif"">According to the legal provisions regarding the election of the president and vice president, the presidential candidate must receive a majority of the total votes. In the event that no candidate gets the majority votes, there will be a voting again.</span></span></span></span></p> <p><span style="font-size:11pt"><span style="font-family:Calibri,"sans-serif""><span style="font-size:14.0pt"><span style="font-family:"Arial","sans-serif"">How many votes with whom?</span></span></span></span></p> <p><span style="font-size:11pt"><span style="font-family:Calibri,"sans-serif""><span style="font-size:14.0pt"><span style="font-family:"Arial","sans-serif"">A total of 333 members of the Federal Parliament (House of Representatives and National Assembly) and 550 members of the Provincial Assembly will vote in the presidential election. According to the law, one vote of the federal MP will carry the weight of 79 votes. Based on this, the total vote share of 332 MPs of the Federal Parliament (the position of one MP has been vacant) will be 26,228. Rabi Lamichhane, chairman of the RSP, who was elected as a member of the House of Representatives from Chitwan-2, was suspended by the Supreme Court.</span></span></span></span></p> <p><span style="font-size:11pt"><span style="font-family:Calibri,"sans-serif""><span style="font-size:14.0pt"><span style="font-family:"Arial","sans-serif"">Similarly, the weight of votes of provincial assembly members is 48. Based on this, the total number of votes of the members of the provincial assembly is 26,400. That makes the total number of votes in the presidential election 52,628. On this basis, more than 26,314 votes are required to be elected as the president. The Congress-led eight-party alliance has 31,821 votes. In this situation, Nembang will get 20,807 votes even if he gets the votes of all the others parties outside the eight-party alliance.</span></span></span></span></p> <p> </p> ', 'published' => true, 'created' => '2023-03-03', 'modified' => '2023-03-03', 'keywords' => '', 'description' => '', 'sortorder' => '16904', 'image' => '20230303113033_1677758905.President 1.jpg', 'article_date' => '2023-03-03 11:29:54', 'homepage' => false, 'breaking_news' => false, 'main_news' => true, 'in_scroller' => null, 'user_id' => '34' ) ), (int) 11 => array( 'Article' => array( 'id' => '17165', 'article_category_id' => '1', 'title' => 'Government Forms High-Level Taskforce to Study Cyber Security', 'sub_title' => '', 'summary' => 'March 3: The government has formed a high-level committee to prepare a comprehensive report on cyber security by incorporating issues related to policy, law, structure and process and making suggestions accordingly. ', 'content' => '<p><span style="font-size:11pt"><span style="font-family:Calibri,"sans-serif""><span style="font-family:"Arial Unicode MS","sans-serif"">March 3: The government has formed a high-level committee to prepare a comprehensive report on cyber security by incorporating issues related to policy, law, structure and process and making suggestions accordingly. </span><br /> <span style="font-family:"Arial Unicode MS","sans-serif"">The high-level taskforce was formed as per the decision of cabinet meeting on February 27 in response to the proposal presented by the Ministry of Communications and Information Technology. The taskforce has been given a month's time to submit the report. </span><br /> <span style="font-family:"Arial Unicode MS","sans-serif"">Information Ministry Secretary Dr Baikuntha Aryal said on Thursday that IT expert Juddha Bahadur Gurung has been appointed as the coordinator of the committee.</span><br /> <span style="font-family:"Arial Unicode MS","sans-serif"">Other members of the committee are Baburam Dawadi, Saroj Lamichhane, Mona Nyachchho, Prakash Rayamajhi and Bijay Gautam. Besides coordinator Gurung, all other members of the taskforce are from the Nepalese Army and the Nepal Police. </span><br /> <span style="font-family:"Arial Unicode MS","sans-serif"">The taskforce was handed over the responsibility amidst a programme at the ministry on Thursday. Addressing the programme, Minister for Communications and Information Technology Rekha Sharma said the ministry took the initiative to prepare the law and policy on cyber security after the country faced series of threats on this subject. </span><br /> <span style="font-family:"Arial Unicode MS","sans-serif"">She argued that cyber security is in the state's priority list because the country lacks proper regulations despite the use of all sorts of technologies available. </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"">"If cyber security policy is formulated and put in place with budget allocation on time, it would be a significant achievement in the sector of cyber security," she said. </span><br /> <span style="font-family:"Arial Unicode MS","sans-serif"">Secretary Aryal shared that the committee will not just undertake a general study of the pertinent issue, but conduct a comprehensive analysis which could be incorporated in the government policy, programmes and budget. “So, the taskforce has been given a significant responsibility,” he stressed. </span><br /> <span style="font-family:"Arial Unicode MS","sans-serif"">On February 27, the cabinet had decided to manage the data of all government bodies and IT systems in the integrated data centre. </span><br /> <span style="font-family:"Arial Unicode MS","sans-serif"">The taskforce will carry out a thorough study on problems of data management in the integrated data centre, reasons behind problems, flaws and measures to solve the problems. It will make recommendations at technical, human and managerial levels. -- RSS </span></span></span></p> ', 'published' => true, 'created' => '2023-03-03', 'modified' => '2023-03-03', 'keywords' => '', 'description' => '', 'sortorder' => '16903', 'image' => '20230303104736_Cybersecurity-importance - Copy.jpg', 'article_date' => '2023-03-03 10:46:56', 'homepage' => false, 'breaking_news' => false, 'main_news' => true, 'in_scroller' => null, 'user_id' => '34' ) ), (int) 12 => array( 'Article' => array( 'id' => '17164', 'article_category_id' => '268', 'title' => 'Tea Export Surges By 30 Percent ', 'sub_title' => '', 'summary' => 'The export of Nepali tea has increased by 30 percent. The export of Nepali tea has gone up by 29.9 percent in the first seven months of the current fiscal year compared to the same period last fiscal year, according to Trade and Export Promotion Center.', 'content' => '<p><span style="font-size:18px">March 3: The export of Nepali tea has increased by 30 percent. </span></p> <p><span style="font-size:18px">The export of Nepali tea has gone up by 29.9 percent in the first seven months of the current fiscal year compared to the same period last fiscal year, according to Trade and Export Promotion Center.</span></p> <p><span style="font-size:18px">Nepal had exported 7,846 metric tons of the tea worth Rs 2.8 billion in first seven months of the last fiscal year. During the same period in the current fiscal year, total tea export stood at 12,564 metric tons worth Rs 2.71 billion. </span></p> <p><span style="font-size:18px">Nepali tea is being exported to 166 countries including India, the United States of America, Germany and the United Kingdom. In the export of agricultural products, tea comes only after cardamom. </span></p> <p><span style="font-size:18px">According to National Tea and Coffee Development Board, Nepal had exported 11,920 metric tons of the tea worth Rs 3.79 billion in the fiscal year 2077/78.</span></p> <p><span style="font-size:18px"> Information Officer Dipak Khanal of the National Tea and Coffee Development Board said that the export quantity had witnessed massive rise as the tea from the last year's stock was also exported simultaneously.</span></p> <p><span style="font-size:18px">Saying that quality of Nepali tea was not at par with international standard, India had banned the mixing of Nepali tea with tea from Darjeeling last year. </span></p> <p><span style="font-size:18px">Nepali tea entrepreneurs had failed to export tea due to the Indian ban last year. As a result, 3,000 metric tons of tea was in stock in Jhapa. </span></p> <p><span style="font-size:18px">Following the Nepal government's diplomatic efforts, India had lifted the ban. </span></p> <p><span style="font-size:18px">Despite the increased demand for Nepali tea this year from different countries, selling of the stock tea was the main reason behind the rise of tea export this fiscal year, Khanal said. </span></p> ', 'published' => true, 'created' => '2023-03-03', 'modified' => '2023-03-03', 'keywords' => '', 'description' => '', 'sortorder' => '16902', 'image' => '20230303065340_collage (11).jpg', 'article_date' => '2023-03-03 06:40:44', 'homepage' => false, 'breaking_news' => false, 'main_news' => true, 'in_scroller' => false, 'user_id' => '42' ) ), (int) 13 => array( 'Article' => array( 'id' => '17163', 'article_category_id' => '1', 'title' => 'CD Ratio of Commercial Banks Start to Drop', 'sub_title' => '', 'summary' => 'March 2: After the tight monetary policy adopted by Nepal Rastra Bank (NRB) reduced credit expansion, the credit-deposit ratio (CD ratio) of commercial banks finally started to decline.', 'content' => '<p><span style="font-size:12pt"><span style="font-family:"Times New Roman","serif"">March 2: After the tight monetary policy adopted by Nepal Rastra Bank (NRB) reduced credit expansion, the credit-deposit ratio (CD ratio) of commercial banks finally started to decline. After the ease in CD ratio of the banks, which have been facing liquidity problem since the last fiscal year, their additional credit expansion capacity has reached more than Rs 175 billion.</span></span></p> <p><span style="font-size:12pt"><span style="font-family:"Times New Roman","serif"">According to NRB, the total deposits of banks and financial institutes (BFIs) have reached Rs 5377 billion as of Monday.</span></span></p> <p><span style="font-size:12pt"><span style="font-family:"Times New Roman","serif"">Out of this amount, commercial banks have deposits of Rs 4740 billion. With the average CD ratio of only 86.22 percent, they have the ability to extend loans of more than Rs 175 billion. As instructed by NRB, banks should maintain CD ratio within 90 percent.</span></span></p> <p><span style="font-size:12pt"><span style="font-family:"Times New Roman","serif"">According to the data published up to the period of mid-January of the current FY by NRB, the CD ratio of most of the commercial banks looks good. Among the 22 commercial banks in operation during this period, only Kumari Bank's CD ratio is higher than the limit set by NRB. Similarly, the CD ratio of Global IME Bank and Nabil Bank is close to 90 percent.</span></span></p> <p><span style="font-size:12pt"><span style="font-family:"Times New Roman","serif"">Standard Chartered Bank has the lowest CD ratio at 78.73 percent. Apart from this, NRB informed that the CD ratio of Rastriya Banijya Bank, Nepal Bank, Sanima Bank and SBI Bank is less than 85 percent.</span></span></p> <p><span style="font-size:12pt"><span style="font-family:"Times New Roman","serif"">Sunil KC, president of Nepal Bankers Association and CEO of NMB Bank, the CD ratio of banks has eased because the banks have not disbursed loans despite to good deposits mainly because of remittance inflow. </span></span></p> <p><span style="font-size:12pt"><span style="font-family:"Times New Roman","serif""> “Currently the CD ratio has eased as there is no demand for new loans in banks. Only small investments are being made to the customers and deposit growth rate is good as well. In recent times, loans have become expensive along with the lack of liquidity, deterring industrialists from taking new loans from banks. The industrialists are in a wait-and-watch state as there is also a movement against the banks’ interest rates,” said KC, adding, “Similarly, due to the impact of Covid-19 and the Russia-Ukraine tension, inflation has risen and economic activity has decreased, so the demand for loans in the market is low. However, since the rate of inflation has been decreasing recently and the economic indicators are easing, the bankers expect credit to expand gradually.”</span></span></p> <p><span style="font-size:12pt"><span style="font-family:"Times New Roman","serif""> KC says that the interest rates on bank deposits have started to decrease and borrowers will get relief by the next quarter. He said that the interest rate will also decrease due to the concession given by NRB by reducing the spread rate and bank rate.</span></span></p> <p><span style="font-size:12pt"><span style="font-family:"Times New Roman","serif"">After much criticism over the high interest rates of banks, NRB announced to reduce the spread rate of the banks through the first quarter review of the monetary policy of the current fiscal year. It issued instructions mid-December and asked banks to reduce the spread rate in two stages. According to the instructions, commercial banks will have to reduce the spread rate to 4.2 percent from mid-March 2023 and development banks and finance companies will have to reduce it to 4.8 percent. From mid-June 2023, commercial banks have to apply 4 percent spread rate and development banks and finance companies have to apply 4.6 percent. By reducing the spread rate till mid-April, the interest rate on loan will decline from mid-April.</span></span></p> <p><span style="font-size:12pt"><span style="font-family:"Times New Roman","serif"">Likewise, NRB reduced the overnight repo interest rate by 1.5 percentage points to 7.5 percent from the half-yearly review of monetary policy. It is also expected that the cost of capital of banks will decrease and the interest rate will decrease to some extent.</span></span></p> <p><span style="font-size:12pt"><span style="font-family:"Times New Roman","serif"">Anil Sharma, CEO of Bankers' Association said, “Now there is no room for banks' interest rates to go up. The policy concession given by NRB will also reduce the interest rate, but they will have to wait until the next quarter.”</span></span></p> <p> </p> ', 'published' => true, 'created' => '2023-03-02', 'modified' => '2023-03-02', 'keywords' => '', 'description' => '', 'sortorder' => '16901', 'image' => '20230302061305_Banks.jpg', 'article_date' => '2023-03-02 18:12:24', 'homepage' => false, 'breaking_news' => false, 'main_news' => true, 'in_scroller' => null, 'user_id' => '34' ) ), (int) 14 => array( 'Article' => array( 'id' => '17162', 'article_category_id' => '1', 'title' => ' DPM Shrestha to Leave for Doha to Participate in LDCs Conference on Friday ', 'sub_title' => '', 'summary' => 'Deputy Prime Minister and Minister for Physical Infrastructure and Transport Narayan Kaji Shrestha will be leaving for Doha of Qatar to take part in the Conference of the Least Developed Countries (LDCs) on Friday. ', 'content' => '<p> </p> <p>March 3: Deputy Prime Minister and Minister for Physical Infrastructure and Transport Narayan Kaji Shrestha will be leaving for Doha of Qatar to take part in the Conference of the Least Developed Countries (LDCs) on Friday. </p> <p>According to the Ministry of Foreign Affairs, the Deputy Prime Minister will be leading the Nepali delegation to the Fifth United Nations Conference on the Least Developed Countries (LDCs) to be held in Doha, the State of Qatar, from 5 to 9 March, 2023. </p> <p>Prior to the event, the Deputy Prime Minister will address the Summit of the LDC Group to be held on the 4th of March, coordinated by Malawi, the current chair of the LDC group. </p> <p>Nepal is scheduled to take the chairmanship of the group of LDCs this year. In Doha, the Deputy Prime Minister Shrestha is scheduled to address the plenary session of the Conference and hold bilateral meetings with delegations from different countries and organizations. </p> <p>Minister Shrestha will also interact with the representatives of the organizations of Nepali diaspora. The Nepali delegation will include Dr. Min Bahadur Shrestha, Vice-chairman of National Planning Commission, lawmaker Jitendra Narayan Dev, government secretaries and the ambassador of Nepal to the State of Qatar and other senior officials. The Deputy Prime Minister will return from Doha on March 7. ---RSS <br /> </p> ', 'published' => true, 'created' => '2023-03-02', 'modified' => '2023-03-02', 'keywords' => '', 'description' => '', 'sortorder' => '16900', 'image' => '20230302055454_collage - 2023-03-02T174415.054.jpg', 'article_date' => '2023-03-02 17:52:35', 'homepage' => false, 'breaking_news' => false, 'main_news' => true, 'in_scroller' => null, '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' => '17177', 'article_category_id' => '1', 'title' => 'Tremors Recorded in Achham and Kavre', 'sub_title' => '', 'summary' => 'March 5: Two earthquakes were recorded to have taken place in two different parts of the country this morning.', 'content' => '<p><span style="font-size:18px"><span style="font-family:Calibri,"sans-serif""><span style="font-family:"Arial Unicode MS","sans-serif"">March 5: Two earthquakes were recorded to have taken place in two different parts of the country this morning. The epicenters of the earthquakes were located at Patalkot of Achham and Kashikhand of Kavrepalanchok districts, according to the National Earthquake Monitoring and Research Center, Lainchaur, Kathmandu. </span><br /> <span style="font-family:"Arial Unicode MS","sans-serif"">The earthquake measuring 4.4 in the Richter scale occurred at 8:35 am in Achham while a magnitude 4.3 earthquake occurred in Kavrepalanchok at 8:03 am this morning (Sunday). </span><br /> <span style="font-family:"Arial Unicode MS","sans-serif"">There has been a rise in incidents of earthquakes in different parts of the country of late. -- RSS </span></span></span></p> ', 'published' => true, 'created' => '2023-03-05', 'modified' => '2023-03-05', 'keywords' => 'earthquake, quake, tremor, Richter, scale, measure, Nepal, Kavre, Achham, rising, epicentre', 'description' => '', 'sortorder' => '16915', 'image' => '20230305113159_earthquake-richter.jpg', 'article_date' => '2023-03-05 11:31:19', 'homepage' => false, 'breaking_news' => false, 'main_news' => true, 'in_scroller' => false, 'user_id' => '34' ) ), (int) 1 => array( 'Article' => array( 'id' => '17176', 'article_category_id' => '1', 'title' => 'Mardi Himal Trek Getting Electricity Facility ', 'sub_title' => '', 'summary' => 'March 5: The Mardi Himal trek, a lesser-known trekking route in the Annapurna region, is getting popularity of late by attracting both domestic and foreign tourists. ', 'content' => '<p><span style="font-size:18px"><span style="font-family:"Times New Roman","serif""><span style="font-family:"Arial Unicode MS","sans-serif"">March 5: The Mardi Himal trek, a lesser-known trekking route in the Annapurna region, is getting popularity of late by attracting both domestic and foreign tourists. </span><br /> <span style="font-family:"Arial Unicode MS","sans-serif"">The trekking route that offers majestic views of the Himalayan mountain range was almost forgotten until almost a decade ago. Its popularity has been lately increasing across the globe for being one of the best and challenging treks in the world. The trek is lined up with hospitality facilities including around 80 small and big hotels and restaurants to serve visiting tourists. </span><br /> <span style="font-family:"Arial Unicode MS","sans-serif"">However, there is a lack of variety of other facilities like electricity, internet and telephone. As a result, tourists and local people visiting the area have to suffer a lot. They have to face various problems like not getting their gadgets and electrical appliances charged. But, efforts are on to equip the trekking route with electricity, the locals said. </span><br /> <span style="font-family:"Arial Unicode MS","sans-serif"">The transmission line has reached up to Kalimati of Mardi, Ghalel and Pritam Daurali. The Nepal Electricity Authority (NEA) is at work to expand electricity along the trek under the initiative of the local tourism entrepreneurs and the Machhapuchre Rural Municipality. </span><br /> <span style="font-family:"Arial Unicode MS","sans-serif"">The NEA Gandaki Provincial Office has called for a bid to expand electricity up to the upper area of Mardi, said Ram Gurung, ward chair of the rural municipality-8.</span></span></span></p> <p><span style="font-size:18px"><span style="font-family:"Times New Roman","serif""><span style="font-family:"Arial Unicode MS","sans-serif"">"We had for long been demanding the electrification of Mardi. The NEA has started the process of expanding electricity. This will contribute to the local tourism," he said. </span><br /> <span style="font-family:"Arial Unicode MS","sans-serif"">The Pokhara distribution centre had last year carried out a study on expanding electricity to the upper camp through a high tension line from the transformer at Kalimati or Siding in the rural municipality. The NEA has prioritised the electricity expansion. </span><br /> <span style="font-family:"Arial Unicode MS","sans-serif"">The tourists have to face various problems without electricity ranging from not getting their gadgets charged, said owner of the local Mardi Himal eco village, Shiva Prasad Bhandari, also the founding secretary of the Mardi Himal trek management committee. </span><br /> <span style="font-family:"Arial Unicode MS","sans-serif"">Some areas of the village are provided with solar power and internet. But, they do not work properly when the weather is bad, he said. </span><br /> <span style="font-family:"Arial Unicode MS","sans-serif"">"The main problem here is lack of electricity. Tourists have been deprived of facilities without power. With the increasing inflow of tourists, the number of hotels has increased. But, many facilities are lacking. We are now encouraged by the NEA's initiatives to expand power," he said. -- RSS </span></span></span></p> <p> </p> ', 'published' => true, 'created' => '2023-03-05', 'modified' => '2023-03-05', 'keywords' => '', 'description' => '', 'sortorder' => '16914', 'image' => '20230305101707_20230304102843_20220718030551_fishtail-seen-from-mardi-himal-base-camp.jpg', 'article_date' => '2023-03-05 10:16:02', 'homepage' => false, 'breaking_news' => false, 'main_news' => true, 'in_scroller' => null, 'user_id' => '34' ) ), (int) 2 => array( 'Article' => array( 'id' => '17175', 'article_category_id' => '277', 'title' => 'Sugar Mill Faces Sugarcane Scarcity ', 'sub_title' => '', 'summary' => 'Baba Baijanath Sugar Mill has not been able to crush sugarcanes in accordance with its capacity in Rautahat. ', 'content' => '<p><span style="font-size:18px">March 5: Baba Baijanath Sugar Mill has not been able to crush sugarcanes in accordance with its capacity in Rautahat. </span></p> <p><span style="font-size:18px">Following the decline of sugarcane production in the district, the mill has been experiencing dearth of sugarcanes for the last few years. The mill has capacity to crush 20,000 quintals of sugarcane in a day. The mill, however, is crushing the less than 7,000 quintals of the sugarcane on a daily basis. </span></p> <p><span style="font-size:18px">Sugar Mill Proprietor Baiju Babara complained that sugarcane shortage had put the mill on the verge of closure. <br /> The mill had crushed just 0.6 million quintals of sugarcane last year. “Operating the mill below its capacity has incurred heavy loss for the mill,” said Babara. </span></p> <p><span style="font-size:18px">Farmers have reduced the cultivation of the sugarcane due to some sugar mills’ failure to pay the farmers on regular basis. Mill proprietor Babara says that his mill has no issue regarding the payment to the sugarcane farmers. “We have been paying the sugarcane farmers at their doorstep and encouraging them. Despite this, the production has declined,” Babara said.</span></p> <p><span style="font-size:18px">Farmers from Bara and Sarlahi used to sell sugarcane to the mill. The government ban to sell sugarcane from one district to another has aggravated the scarcity of the sugarcane, according to Barabara. </span></p> <p><span style="font-size:18px">Baijanath Sugar Mill has been helping farmers with seed, fertilizer and payment at their place. Besides, the mill has also provided a cane harvester to the farmers.</span></p> <p><span style="font-size:18px">Rautahat used to produce more than 2 million quintals of sugarcane in the past. The sugarcane production stands at between 1 to 1.2 million quintals a year at the moment, according to Sugarcane Producers’ Association Rautahat said. The mill has to be shut down earlier though the mill would operate till April in normal condition, said Baijanath. </span></p> <p><br /> </p> ', 'published' => true, 'created' => '2023-03-05', 'modified' => '2023-03-05', 'keywords' => '', 'description' => '', 'sortorder' => '16913', 'image' => '20230305070954_collage (13).jpg', 'article_date' => '2023-03-05 07:06:20', 'homepage' => false, 'breaking_news' => false, 'main_news' => true, 'in_scroller' => false, 'user_id' => '42' ) ), (int) 3 => array( 'Article' => array( 'id' => '17173', 'article_category_id' => '1', 'title' => 'Increase in Hotel Bookings Signals Revival of Tourism Sector', 'sub_title' => '', 'summary' => 'March 4: Foreign tourists are gradually starting to appear in Thamel, the major tourist hub in the federal capital, Kathmandu. ', 'content' => '<p><span style="font-size:11pt"><span style="font-family:Calibri,"sans-serif""><span style="font-family:"Arial Unicode MS","sans-serif"">March 4: Foreign tourists are gradually starting to appear in Thamel, the major tourist hub in the federal capital, Kathmandu. </span><br /> <span style="font-family:"Arial Unicode MS","sans-serif"">With the reappearance of large number of tourists in the streets of Thamel, tourism entrepreneurs are hoping for a revival of their business, severely hit by the COVID-19 pandemic. </span><br /> <span style="font-family:"Arial Unicode MS","sans-serif"">"The tourism sector of Nepal, which has been suffering since the coronavirus pandemic for a long time, is happy with the arrival of tourists," said President of Trekking Agencies Association of Nepal (TAAN), Nilhari Bastola. </span><br /> <span style="font-family:"Arial Unicode MS","sans-serif"">The months of March, April and May are considered as the start of tourist season in Nepal. The number of hotel bookings by foreign tourists has increased with the start of the tourist season, said Gopal Pangeni, the owner of a four-star hotel, Ramada Encore, in Thamel. He said that 70 percent rooms in his hotel with 92 rooms, have been booked for March and 90 percent for April and May. </span><br /> <span style="font-family:"Arial Unicode MS","sans-serif"">This shows that that the tourism sector of Nepal will gradually gain momentum in the months to come. </span><br /> <span style="font-family:"Arial Unicode MS","sans-serif"">More than 80 percent of the tourism business in Thamel relies on foreign tourists while 20 percent of the business comes from domestic tourists. There are more than a thousand hotels in and around the Thamel area. </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"">"Foreign tourists have gradually started to be seen in the inner streets of Thamel," said President of Thamel Tourism Development Council Bhaviswar Sharma. </span><br /> <span style="font-family:"Arial Unicode MS","sans-serif"">Likewise, the guests coming for late-night entertainment have also started getting crowded. During the weekends on Friday and Saturday, there is more activity in Thamel. Night clubs in Thamel have also started to return to usual business. </span><br /> <span style="font-family:"Arial Unicode MS","sans-serif"">Proprietor of the Shot Station Restaurant and Bar, Dharmaraj Paneru, said that the number of foreign guests who come to Thamel for entertainment at night has increased. "Since the last 15 days, the night business is gradually getting better, which has made us happy," he says. </span><br /> <span style="font-family:"Arial Unicode MS","sans-serif"">Director of Nepal Tourism Board Maniraj Lamichhane says that the arrival of foreign tourists is encouraging in recent days. </span><br /> <span style="font-family:"Arial Unicode MS","sans-serif"">A total of 73,255 tourists visited Nepal by air in the month of February 2023. In January the number was 55,074. Last year in February only 19,766 tourists had arrived in Nepal while it was just 9,146 tourists in 2021, according to records maintained by the NTB. -- RSS</span></span></span></p> ', 'published' => true, 'created' => '2023-03-04', 'modified' => '2023-03-04', 'keywords' => '', 'description' => '', 'sortorder' => '16911', 'image' => '20230304100605_20200306100011_20200130020146_hotels.jpg', 'article_date' => '2023-03-04 22:05:37', 'homepage' => false, 'breaking_news' => false, 'main_news' => true, 'in_scroller' => null, 'user_id' => '34' ) ), (int) 4 => array( 'Article' => array( 'id' => '17172', 'article_category_id' => '1', 'title' => ' Event on Climate Change to Take Place at Syangboche on March 8 ', 'sub_title' => '', 'summary' => 'March 3: A special programme has been scheduled to take place at Syangboche of Solukhumbu on coming March 8 on the occasion of the International Women's Day. ', 'content' => '<p><span style="font-size:11pt"><span style="font-family:Calibri,"sans-serif""><span style="font-family:"Arial Unicode MS","sans-serif"">March 3: A special programme has been scheduled to take place at Syangboche of Solukhumbu on coming March 8 on the occasion of the International Women's Day. </span><br /> <span style="font-family:"Arial Unicode MS","sans-serif"">The event aims to draw the global attention towards the impact of climate change on mountain life and call for climate justice to the affected community. </span><br /> <span style="font-family:"Arial Unicode MS","sans-serif""> The event to be organised by 'Sath Saathai' a women-focused non-profitable organisation, is supported by the Ministry of Forest and Environment, Ministry of Culture, Tourism and Civil Aviation, UNDP, ICIMOD, NTNC, and Embassy of the United Arab Emirates in Nepal. </span><br /> <span style="font-family:"Arial Unicode MS","sans-serif""> The organisation hosted the 'Mission to Kalpathhar' campaign last year on the occasion of International Women's Day and it concluded by issuing the 10-point Kalapaththar declaration. </span><br /> <span style="font-family:"Arial Unicode MS","sans-serif"">According to organisation chair Prajeeta Karki, following the Kalapaththar declaration, the organisation has decided to reach the site each year with programme aiming to advocate for and promote climate justice. </span><br /> <span style="font-family:"Arial Unicode MS","sans-serif"">Deputy Speaker Indira Rana Magar, Supreme Court judge Sapana Pradhan Malla, National Assembly member and former Minister Dr Bimala Paudyal Rai, representatives from the UAE Embassy and climate experts are among those attending the event. </span><br /> <span style="font-family:"Arial Unicode MS","sans-serif"">"Through the event, we want to create pressure on the bodies concern and the government to raise the issues about climate change impact on mountain life seriously during 28th Conference of the Parties to the UN Framework Convention on Climate Change (COP28), 2023 to be hosted by the UAE. </span><br /> <span style="font-family:"Arial Unicode MS","sans-serif"">The organisation has planned another seminar at Namche of Solukhumbu aiming to highlight the impact of climate change on women's life. </span><br /> <span style="font-family:"Arial Unicode MS","sans-serif"">The objectives of programes are to empower women for climate change-resilient societies, to seek support from the international community for the empowerment of target groups and to draw the global attention towards challenges caused climate change in the mountainous and low-lying areas and snow melting as a consequences of climate change. </span><br /> <span style="font-family:"Arial Unicode MS","sans-serif""> In addition to this, a national level dialogue on the 'Gravity of Climate Change and Climate Justice' has been scheduled to take place in Kathmandu on coming March 17. -- RSS </span></span></span></p> ', 'published' => true, 'created' => '2023-03-03', 'modified' => '2023-03-03', 'keywords' => '', 'description' => '', 'sortorder' => '16910', 'image' => '20230303055602_a19d4bd5373c6d71741e191658b7bee2.jpg', 'article_date' => '2023-03-03 17:55:40', 'homepage' => false, 'breaking_news' => false, 'main_news' => true, 'in_scroller' => null, 'user_id' => '34' ) ), (int) 5 => array( 'Article' => array( 'id' => '17171', 'article_category_id' => '1', 'title' => 'Price of Gold Drops by Rs 100 Per Tola', 'sub_title' => '', 'summary' => 'March 3: The price of gold has declined by Rs 100 per tola (11.66 grams) on Friday and is being traded at Rs 102,500 per tola.', 'content' => '<p><span style="font-size:11pt"><span style="font-family:Calibri,"sans-serif""><span style="font-family:"Arial Unicode MS","sans-serif"">March 3: The price of gold has declined by Rs 100 per tola (11.66 grams) on Friday and is being traded at Rs 102,500 per tola. The precious yellow metal was traded at Rs 102,600 per tola on the previous trading day (Thursday). </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"">Similarly, price of worked gold has been fixed at Rs 102,000 per tola against Rs 102,100 on the previous trading day, according to the Federation of Nepal Gold and Silver Dealers Association. </span><br /> <span style="font-family:"Arial Unicode MS","sans-serif"">Likewise, the price of silver has decreased Rs 5 per tola and is being traded at Rs 1,265 per tola, said the federation. -- RSS </span></span></span></p> ', 'published' => true, 'created' => '2023-03-03', 'modified' => '2023-03-03', 'keywords' => '', 'description' => '', 'sortorder' => '16909', 'image' => '20230303052144_gold.jpg', 'article_date' => '2023-03-03 17:21:06', 'homepage' => false, 'breaking_news' => false, 'main_news' => true, 'in_scroller' => null, 'user_id' => '34' ) ), (int) 6 => array( 'Article' => array( 'id' => '17170', 'article_category_id' => '1', 'title' => 'Nepali Tea Companies Win Gold Medal in International Competition ', 'sub_title' => '', 'summary' => ' Nepali tea producing companies have been awarded for their taste and quality in the international contest. Nepali tea companies won the gold and silver medals in “Second Tea Quality Competition in China” organized by China Tea Marketing Association from September 20 to 21, 2022.', 'content' => '<p><br /> <span style="font-size:18px">March 3: Nepali tea producing companies have been awarded for their taste and quality in the international contest. </span></p> <p><span style="font-size:18px">Nepali tea companies have won gold and silver medals in “Second Tea Quality Competition in China” organized by China Tea Marketing Association from September 20 to 21, 2022.</span></p> <p><span style="font-size:18px">At the programme organized by National Tea and Coffee Development Board in Kathmandu, the awards were distributed on Thursday. The board had collected 40 tea samples from across the country and sent 16 tea samples after test of their quality and taste to China for the competition. </span></p> <p><span style="font-size:18px">Tinjure Tea Farmer Cooperative Society Limited has bagged Pearl Golden Black tea award. Likewise, Farmer Tea Processing Industry’s FT Himalayn Gold, Himalayan Shangrila Tea Producers’ Shangrila gold, Gorkah Tea Estate Private Limited’s GTE Golden tea, Siddha Devi Tea Estate Private Limited’s Silver wings, and Kanchanjunga Organic Orthodox Tea Industry’s Golden Tips tea have won gold medals. </span></p> <p><span style="font-size:18px">In the same manner, Himalayan Shangrila Tea Producers’ Himlayan Sunrise Beauty, Shree Baraha Tea Industry’s Special black tea, Tinjure Farmer Cooperative Society Limited’s Normal Golden Black tea and Maina Pokhari Tea Processing Industry’s MP 10 Mirmire have won silver medals. </span></p> <p><span style="font-size:18px">Tea was planted in 16,917 hectares of the land and as many as 23,745 metric tons of tea was produced in the fiscal year of 2077/78 in Nepal. More than 17,000 tea farmers and over 60,000 workers are involved in the tea business at the moment.</span></p> <p><span style="font-size:18px">Nepal exported 11,920 metric tons of the tea worth Rs 3.79 billion in the last fiscal year, according to the Department of Customs. Tea farmers bemoan that they are selling their produce at low price despite its excellent quality. Nepal has a potential to export tea worth more than Rs 10 billion in a year. </span></p> ', 'published' => true, 'created' => '2023-03-03', 'modified' => '2023-03-03', 'keywords' => '', 'description' => '', 'sortorder' => '16908', 'image' => '20230303045430_collage - 2023-03-03T165309.178.jpg', 'article_date' => '2023-03-03 16:50:54', 'homepage' => false, 'breaking_news' => false, 'main_news' => true, 'in_scroller' => false, 'user_id' => '42' ) ), (int) 7 => array( 'Article' => array( 'id' => '17169', 'article_category_id' => '1', 'title' => 'Laxmi Intercontinental Launches Face-lifted Version of Grand i10 Nios,', 'sub_title' => '', 'summary' => 'Laxmi Intercontinental, the authorised distributor of Hyundai vehicles in Nepal, has launched the face-lifted version of its popular model Grand i10 Nios, highlighted as 'More The Merrier'. ', 'content' => '<p><span style="font-size:18px">March 3: Laxmi Intercontinental, the authorised distributor of Hyundai vehicles in Nepal, has launched the face-lifted version of its popular model Grand i10 Nios, highlighted as 'More The Merrier'. </span></p> <p><span style="font-size:18px">This hatchback segment is set to take the automotive segment to a new height, due to its new and innovative irresistible combination of cutting-edge technology, high performance, attractive design, distinctive features, and thoughtful safety features that cater to the modern driver's needs, says the company in its press statement. </span></p> <p><span style="font-size:18px">With its new benchmark-setting features, the Grand i10 Nios is anticipated to become another best-selling car in the Nepali market. </span></p> <p><span style="font-size:18px">Lightbar connected by LED Tail Lights on the rear part of the car has given a distinctive looks to the car. Similarly, painted Black Radiator Grille and LED Daytime Running Lamps(DRLS) on the front of the Grand i10 Nios have made the car stylish and sporty. </span></p> <p><span style="font-size:18px">The all-new Grand i10 Nios is available in Era, Magna, and Sportz variants in MT option and Magna and Sportz in AMT option with a starting price of Rs 2.996 million.</span></p> ', 'published' => true, 'created' => '2023-03-03', 'modified' => '2023-03-03', 'keywords' => '', 'description' => '', 'sortorder' => '16907', 'image' => '20230303040007_collage - 2023-03-03T155904.985.jpg', 'article_date' => '2023-03-03 15:56:34', 'homepage' => false, 'breaking_news' => false, 'main_news' => true, 'in_scroller' => false, 'user_id' => '42' ) ), (int) 8 => array( 'Article' => array( 'id' => '17168', 'article_category_id' => '1', 'title' => 'Public Declaration of Defaulting on Loans is Objectionable: Bankers', 'sub_title' => '', 'summary' => 'March 3: Umbrella organisations of banks and financial institutions (BFIs) have expressed concerns towards public statements made by the debtors that they will not pay back the loans.', 'content' => '<p><span style="font-size:12pt"><span style="font-family:"Times New Roman","serif"">March 3: Umbrella organisations of banks and financial institutions (BFIs) have expressed concerns towards public statements made by the debtors that they will not pay back the loans.</span></span></p> <p><span style="font-size:12pt"><span style="font-family:"Times New Roman","serif"">The BFIs have requested the government to check this troublesome trend on time.</span></span></p> <p><span style="font-size:12pt"><span style="font-family:"Times New Roman","serif"">Four umbrella organizations of BFIs issued a joint statement on Thursday and made such request to the government after attacks on bank employees and the formal declaration made by the defaulters that they will not pay back the loans.</span></span></p> <p><span style="font-size:12pt"><span style="font-family:"Times New Roman","serif"">Nepal Bankers Association, the umbrella organization of commercial banks, Development Bankers Association Nepal, the umbrella organization of development banks, Nepal Financial Institutions Association, the umbrella organization of finance companies, and Nepal Microfinance Bankers Association, the umbrella organization of microfinance companies, issued a joint statement and urged the government to control such chaotic activities.</span></span></p> <p><span style="font-size:12pt"><span style="font-family:"Times New Roman","serif"">The statement reads, “Recently, our attention has been drawn to the negative comments and agitation announced by some individuals against banks/financial and microfinance institutions and the threatening expressions and behavior to discourage bank employees. We are confident that the state's attention has gone towards controlling the incident in time.”</span></span></p> <p><span style="font-size:12pt"><span style="font-family:"Times New Roman","serif"">Banks and financial institutions have collected more than Rs 5400 billion deposits from over 483 million customers’ deposit accounts and have mobilized loans of more than Rs 4800 billion through more than 1.8 million borrowers. </span></span></p> <p><span style="font-size:12pt"><span style="font-family:"Times New Roman","serif"">This sector has created more than 530,00 direct jobs, paid more than Rs 34 billion in taxes to the state in the last fiscal year and have directly given more than Rs 10 billion to borrowers through interest rate discounts during the Covid-19 pandemic.</span></span></p> <p><span style="font-size:12pt"><span style="font-family:"Times New Roman","serif"">Similarly, in the remote areas of the country, microfinance institutions have provided services to more than 6 million depositors and more than 32 million borrowers, as well as created more than 23,000 direct jobs. Banks/financial and microfinance institutions are providing banking services subjected to the policies/instructions issued by the regulatory bodies and various laws and they are always aware of the rights and interests of their customers, added the statement.</span></span></p> <p><span style="font-size:12pt"><span style="font-family:"Times New Roman","serif"">They say that if there is any problem, it would be beneficial to discuss with the related organizations and proceed accordingly. Similarly, by making the banking sector stronger, the associations said they are expecting the support and cooperation of all stakeholders to help the economic development of the country.</span></span></p> <p> </p> ', 'published' => true, 'created' => '2023-03-03', 'modified' => '2023-03-03', 'keywords' => '', 'description' => '', 'sortorder' => '16906', 'image' => '20230303023829_Bad Loan.jpg', 'article_date' => '2023-03-03 14:37:42', 'homepage' => false, 'breaking_news' => false, 'main_news' => true, 'in_scroller' => null, 'user_id' => '34' ) ), (int) 9 => array( 'Article' => array( 'id' => '17167', 'article_category_id' => '1', 'title' => 'A Place Where Villagers have to Pay Money to Cross a River!', 'sub_title' => '', 'summary' => 'March 3: The locals of Bhajani Municipality of Kailali district have been dreaming of a concrete bridge for 12 years. ', 'content' => '<p><span style="font-size:12pt"><span style="font-family:"Times New Roman","serif""><span style="font-size:15.0pt"><span style="font-family:"Nirmala UI","sans-serif"">March 3: The locals of Bhajani Municipality of Kailali district have been dreaming of a concrete bridge for 12 years. The locals are hopeful the once the construction of the motorable bridge gets complete, they will no longer have to pay the money just to cross a river.</span></span></span></span></p> <p><span style="font-size:12pt"><span style="font-family:"Times New Roman","serif""><span style="font-size:15.0pt"><span style="font-family:"Nirmala UI","sans-serif"">The local residents of this municipality have to pay money to cross the Kandra and other rivers. </span></span></span></span></p> <p><span style="font-size:12pt"><span style="font-family:"Times New Roman","serif""><span style="font-size:15.0pt"><span style="font-family:"Nirmala UI","sans-serif"">"One has to pay Rs 30 per day just to cross the river to visit the municipality for daily work. That means, an individual has to pay Rs 900 per month only to cross the river," said Rupak Saud, a local. </span></span></span></span></p> <p><span style="font-size:12pt"><span style="font-family:"Times New Roman","serif""><span style="font-size:15.0pt"><span style="font-family:"Nirmala UI","sans-serif"">He says that the locals will have to suffer until a concrete bridge comes into operation. Saud says that the municipality is giving them trouble by collecting money for crossing a river.</span></span></span></span></p> <p><span style="font-size:12pt"><span style="font-family:"Times New Roman","serif""><span style="font-size:15.0pt"><span style="font-family:"Nirmala UI","sans-serif"">He added that the construction company that was awarded the contract to build a bridge is making profit by delaying the construction work.</span></span></span></span></p> <p><span style="font-size:12pt"><span style="font-family:"Times New Roman","serif""><span style="font-size:15.0pt"><span style="font-family:"Nirmala UI","sans-serif"">Big vehicles are made to cross the river instead of using the under-construction bridge. Another local Bhojraj Kafle says that the contractors in collusion with the local authorities collect money from vehicles while crossing the river. </span></span></span></span></p> <p><span style="font-size:12pt"><span style="font-family:"Times New Roman","serif""><span style="font-size:15.0pt"><span style="font-family:"Nirmala UI","sans-serif"">“It has been more than a decade since the construction of a concrete bridge over the Kandra River started. The middlemen are the reason why the bridge has not been built on time. There are people who collect hundreds of thousands of rupees annually in the name of river contracts," he says, "Otherwise, what is the reason that local stakeholders are not interested in the construction of the bridge?"</span></span></span></span></p> <p><span style="font-size:12pt"><span style="font-family:"Times New Roman","serif""><span style="font-size:15.0pt"><span style="font-family:"Nirmala UI","sans-serif"">The distance between Tikapur and Dhangadhi via the Postal Highway is 75 kilometers. Traveling through Mahendra Highway (East-West Highway) takes a little longer. </span></span></span></span></p> <p><span style="font-size:12pt"><span style="font-family:"Times New Roman","serif""><span style="font-size:15.0pt"><span style="font-family:"Nirmala UI","sans-serif"">Bintiram Chaudhury of Tikapur argues that the Postal Highway cannot be used right now due to the lack of a concrete bridge over the Kandra River. He said that he has to live in Kailari Rural Municipality because of his job and he has to pay for river crossing while returning home once a week.</span></span></span></span></p> <p><span style="font-size:12pt"><span style="font-family:"Times New Roman","serif""><span style="font-size:15.0pt"><span style="font-family:"Nirmala UI","sans-serif"">According to Chaudhary, the contractor says that they have paid money to the municipality to utilize the river under a contract.</span></span></span></span></p> <p><span style="font-size:12pt"><span style="font-family:"Times New Roman","serif""><span style="font-size:15.0pt"><span style="font-family:"Nirmala UI","sans-serif"">Therefore, they have been charging the locals for crossing the river.</span></span></span></span></p> <p><span style="font-size:12pt"><span style="font-family:"Times New Roman","serif""><span style="font-size:15.0pt"><span style="font-family:"Nirmala UI","sans-serif"">Bhajani Municipality has given Kandra River and its tributaries under a short-term contract. The contractor has been operating boats for fishing in the river. According to the municipality, the contract has been signed for one fiscal year and it has helped the municipality collect internal source of income. </span></span></span></span></p> <p><span style="font-size:12pt"><span style="font-family:"Times New Roman","serif""><span style="font-size:15.0pt"><span style="font-family:"Nirmala UI","sans-serif"">Mayor Keval Chaudhary says that the situation where citizens have to pay money to cross the Kandra River will end within this year.</span></span></span></span></p> <p><span style="font-size:12pt"><span style="font-family:"Times New Roman","serif""><span style="font-size:15.0pt"><span style="font-family:"Nirmala UI","sans-serif"">He said that the construction of a motorable bridge over the Kandra River along the Postal Highway is in the final stage and will come into operation in a few months. -- RSS</span></span></span></span></p> <p> </p> ', 'published' => true, 'created' => '2023-03-03', 'modified' => '2023-03-03', 'keywords' => '', 'description' => '', 'sortorder' => '16905', 'image' => '20230303012530_1677827539.कान्द्रा नदी पुल.jpg', 'article_date' => '2023-03-03 13:24:52', 'homepage' => false, 'breaking_news' => false, 'main_news' => true, 'in_scroller' => null, 'user_id' => '34' ) ), (int) 10 => array( 'Article' => array( 'id' => '17166', 'article_category_id' => '1', 'title' => 'Nepali Congress in a Comfortable Position to Win Presidential Election', 'sub_title' => '', 'summary' => 'March 3: Senior leader Ram Chandra Paudel of the Nepali Congress, the largest party in the House of Representatives, and Subas Chandra Nembang, the vice chairman of the second largest party, CPN-UML, are all set to contest in the presidential election on March 9.', 'content' => '<p><span style="font-size:11pt"><span style="font-family:Calibri,"sans-serif""><span style="font-size:14.0pt"><span style="font-family:"Arial","sans-serif"">March 3: Senior leader Ram Chandra Paudel of the Nepali Congress, the largest party in the House of Representatives, and Subas Chandra Nembang, the vice chairman of the second largest party, CPN-UML, are all set to contest in the presidential election on March 9.</span></span></span></span></p> <p><span style="font-size:11pt"><span style="font-family:Calibri,"sans-serif""><span style="font-size:14.0pt"><span style="font-family:"Arial","sans-serif"">After the registration of nominees, UML has intensified attempts to canvass votes for the election. On the other hand, the Nepali Congress seems to be in a comfortable position to secure majority votes with the backup of eight political parties. A new eight-party alliance has formed under the initiative of chairman of CPN (Maoist Center) Pushpa Kamal Dahal, who is also the prime minister, after his party decided to back NC candidate instead of UML.</span></span></span></span></p> <p><span style="font-size:11pt"><span style="font-family:Calibri,"sans-serif""><span style="font-size:14.0pt"><span style="font-family:"Arial","sans-serif"">The victory of NC candidate Paudel in the presidential election seems certain after receiving the votes of the coalition partners.</span></span></span></span></p> <p><span style="font-size:11pt"><span style="font-family:Calibri,"sans-serif""><span style="font-size:14.0pt"><span style="font-family:"Arial","sans-serif"">On the other hand, UML candidate Nembang is making attempts to turn the tide in his favour.</span></span></span></span></p> <p><span style="font-size:11pt"><span style="font-family:Calibri,"sans-serif""><span style="font-size:14.0pt"><span style="font-family:"Arial","sans-serif"">As the date of the election approaches, Nembang is meeting the leaders of various parties to canvass votes. On Thursday, he met CPN (Unified Socialist) Chairman Madhav Kumar Nepal and asked him to vote for him in the presidential election.</span></span></span></span></p> <p><span style="font-size:11pt"><span style="font-family:Calibri,"sans-serif""><span style="font-size:14.0pt"><span style="font-family:"Arial","sans-serif"">The CPN (Unified Socialist) is currently in the Nepali Congress-led eight-party alliance. The UML, which did not even want to recognize the party and did not even want to hear the name of the CPN United Socialist, sent a letter and asked for votes in favour of its candidate in the presidential election.</span></span></span></span></p> <p><span style="font-size:11pt"><span style="font-family:Calibri,"sans-serif""><span style="font-size:14.0pt"><span style="font-family:"Arial","sans-serif"">Similarly, Nembang also reached the office of Rastriya Swatantra Party (RSP) Nepal led by journalist-turned-politician Rabi Lamichhaneto to seek for votes. Not only Nembang, UML Chairman KP Oli is also asking for votes for his candidate. Oli asked National Assembly member Bamdev Gautam, who is also a former UML leader, to vote for Nembang in the presidential election.</span></span></span></span></p> <p><span style="font-size:11pt"><span style="font-family:Calibri,"sans-serif""><span style="font-size:14.0pt"><span style="font-family:"Arial","sans-serif"">However, the Nepali Congress has not made much effort except to send a letter to the UML and ask for votes because the party is already enjoys majority support in parliament. Paudel, who is a strong candidate to win the presidential election with the support from eight parties, is also asking for votes. A few days ago, he met Rabi Lamichhane, chairman of the RSP Nepal and asked him to vote for him in the presidential election.</span></span></span></span></p> <p><span style="font-size:11pt"><span style="font-family:Calibri,"sans-serif""><span style="font-size:14.0pt"><span style="font-family:"Arial","sans-serif"">Poudel has written letters to all MPs asking for their votes. </span></span></span></span></p> <p><span style="font-size:11pt"><span style="font-family:Calibri,"sans-serif""><span style="font-size:14.0pt"><span style="font-family:"Arial","sans-serif"">Paudel is seeking for votes by expressing his commitment to institutionalize a democratic republic and inclusive democracy.</span></span></span></span></p> <p><span style="font-size:11pt"><span style="font-family:Calibri,"sans-serif""><span style="font-size:14.0pt"><span style="font-family:"Arial","sans-serif"">According to the legal provisions regarding the election of the president and vice president, the presidential candidate must receive a majority of the total votes. In the event that no candidate gets the majority votes, there will be a voting again.</span></span></span></span></p> <p><span style="font-size:11pt"><span style="font-family:Calibri,"sans-serif""><span style="font-size:14.0pt"><span style="font-family:"Arial","sans-serif"">How many votes with whom?</span></span></span></span></p> <p><span style="font-size:11pt"><span style="font-family:Calibri,"sans-serif""><span style="font-size:14.0pt"><span style="font-family:"Arial","sans-serif"">A total of 333 members of the Federal Parliament (House of Representatives and National Assembly) and 550 members of the Provincial Assembly will vote in the presidential election. According to the law, one vote of the federal MP will carry the weight of 79 votes. Based on this, the total vote share of 332 MPs of the Federal Parliament (the position of one MP has been vacant) will be 26,228. Rabi Lamichhane, chairman of the RSP, who was elected as a member of the House of Representatives from Chitwan-2, was suspended by the Supreme Court.</span></span></span></span></p> <p><span style="font-size:11pt"><span style="font-family:Calibri,"sans-serif""><span style="font-size:14.0pt"><span style="font-family:"Arial","sans-serif"">Similarly, the weight of votes of provincial assembly members is 48. Based on this, the total number of votes of the members of the provincial assembly is 26,400. That makes the total number of votes in the presidential election 52,628. On this basis, more than 26,314 votes are required to be elected as the president. The Congress-led eight-party alliance has 31,821 votes. In this situation, Nembang will get 20,807 votes even if he gets the votes of all the others parties outside the eight-party alliance.</span></span></span></span></p> <p> </p> ', 'published' => true, 'created' => '2023-03-03', 'modified' => '2023-03-03', 'keywords' => '', 'description' => '', 'sortorder' => '16904', 'image' => '20230303113033_1677758905.President 1.jpg', 'article_date' => '2023-03-03 11:29:54', 'homepage' => false, 'breaking_news' => false, 'main_news' => true, 'in_scroller' => null, 'user_id' => '34' ) ), (int) 11 => array( 'Article' => array( 'id' => '17165', 'article_category_id' => '1', 'title' => 'Government Forms High-Level Taskforce to Study Cyber Security', 'sub_title' => '', 'summary' => 'March 3: The government has formed a high-level committee to prepare a comprehensive report on cyber security by incorporating issues related to policy, law, structure and process and making suggestions accordingly. ', 'content' => '<p><span style="font-size:11pt"><span style="font-family:Calibri,"sans-serif""><span style="font-family:"Arial Unicode MS","sans-serif"">March 3: The government has formed a high-level committee to prepare a comprehensive report on cyber security by incorporating issues related to policy, law, structure and process and making suggestions accordingly. </span><br /> <span style="font-family:"Arial Unicode MS","sans-serif"">The high-level taskforce was formed as per the decision of cabinet meeting on February 27 in response to the proposal presented by the Ministry of Communications and Information Technology. The taskforce has been given a month's time to submit the report. </span><br /> <span style="font-family:"Arial Unicode MS","sans-serif"">Information Ministry Secretary Dr Baikuntha Aryal said on Thursday that IT expert Juddha Bahadur Gurung has been appointed as the coordinator of the committee.</span><br /> <span style="font-family:"Arial Unicode MS","sans-serif"">Other members of the committee are Baburam Dawadi, Saroj Lamichhane, Mona Nyachchho, Prakash Rayamajhi and Bijay Gautam. Besides coordinator Gurung, all other members of the taskforce are from the Nepalese Army and the Nepal Police. </span><br /> <span style="font-family:"Arial Unicode MS","sans-serif"">The taskforce was handed over the responsibility amidst a programme at the ministry on Thursday. Addressing the programme, Minister for Communications and Information Technology Rekha Sharma said the ministry took the initiative to prepare the law and policy on cyber security after the country faced series of threats on this subject. </span><br /> <span style="font-family:"Arial Unicode MS","sans-serif"">She argued that cyber security is in the state's priority list because the country lacks proper regulations despite the use of all sorts of technologies available. </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"">"If cyber security policy is formulated and put in place with budget allocation on time, it would be a significant achievement in the sector of cyber security," she said. </span><br /> <span style="font-family:"Arial Unicode MS","sans-serif"">Secretary Aryal shared that the committee will not just undertake a general study of the pertinent issue, but conduct a comprehensive analysis which could be incorporated in the government policy, programmes and budget. “So, the taskforce has been given a significant responsibility,” he stressed. </span><br /> <span style="font-family:"Arial Unicode MS","sans-serif"">On February 27, the cabinet had decided to manage the data of all government bodies and IT systems in the integrated data centre. </span><br /> <span style="font-family:"Arial Unicode MS","sans-serif"">The taskforce will carry out a thorough study on problems of data management in the integrated data centre, reasons behind problems, flaws and measures to solve the problems. It will make recommendations at technical, human and managerial levels. -- RSS </span></span></span></p> ', 'published' => true, 'created' => '2023-03-03', 'modified' => '2023-03-03', 'keywords' => '', 'description' => '', 'sortorder' => '16903', 'image' => '20230303104736_Cybersecurity-importance - Copy.jpg', 'article_date' => '2023-03-03 10:46:56', 'homepage' => false, 'breaking_news' => false, 'main_news' => true, 'in_scroller' => null, 'user_id' => '34' ) ), (int) 12 => array( 'Article' => array( 'id' => '17164', 'article_category_id' => '268', 'title' => 'Tea Export Surges By 30 Percent ', 'sub_title' => '', 'summary' => 'The export of Nepali tea has increased by 30 percent. The export of Nepali tea has gone up by 29.9 percent in the first seven months of the current fiscal year compared to the same period last fiscal year, according to Trade and Export Promotion Center.', 'content' => '<p><span style="font-size:18px">March 3: The export of Nepali tea has increased by 30 percent. </span></p> <p><span style="font-size:18px">The export of Nepali tea has gone up by 29.9 percent in the first seven months of the current fiscal year compared to the same period last fiscal year, according to Trade and Export Promotion Center.</span></p> <p><span style="font-size:18px">Nepal had exported 7,846 metric tons of the tea worth Rs 2.8 billion in first seven months of the last fiscal year. During the same period in the current fiscal year, total tea export stood at 12,564 metric tons worth Rs 2.71 billion. </span></p> <p><span style="font-size:18px">Nepali tea is being exported to 166 countries including India, the United States of America, Germany and the United Kingdom. In the export of agricultural products, tea comes only after cardamom. </span></p> <p><span style="font-size:18px">According to National Tea and Coffee Development Board, Nepal had exported 11,920 metric tons of the tea worth Rs 3.79 billion in the fiscal year 2077/78.</span></p> <p><span style="font-size:18px"> Information Officer Dipak Khanal of the National Tea and Coffee Development Board said that the export quantity had witnessed massive rise as the tea from the last year's stock was also exported simultaneously.</span></p> <p><span style="font-size:18px">Saying that quality of Nepali tea was not at par with international standard, India had banned the mixing of Nepali tea with tea from Darjeeling last year. </span></p> <p><span style="font-size:18px">Nepali tea entrepreneurs had failed to export tea due to the Indian ban last year. As a result, 3,000 metric tons of tea was in stock in Jhapa. </span></p> <p><span style="font-size:18px">Following the Nepal government's diplomatic efforts, India had lifted the ban. </span></p> <p><span style="font-size:18px">Despite the increased demand for Nepali tea this year from different countries, selling of the stock tea was the main reason behind the rise of tea export this fiscal year, Khanal said. </span></p> ', 'published' => true, 'created' => '2023-03-03', 'modified' => '2023-03-03', 'keywords' => '', 'description' => '', 'sortorder' => '16902', 'image' => '20230303065340_collage (11).jpg', 'article_date' => '2023-03-03 06:40:44', 'homepage' => false, 'breaking_news' => false, 'main_news' => true, 'in_scroller' => false, 'user_id' => '42' ) ), (int) 13 => array( 'Article' => array( 'id' => '17163', 'article_category_id' => '1', 'title' => 'CD Ratio of Commercial Banks Start to Drop', 'sub_title' => '', 'summary' => 'March 2: After the tight monetary policy adopted by Nepal Rastra Bank (NRB) reduced credit expansion, the credit-deposit ratio (CD ratio) of commercial banks finally started to decline.', 'content' => '<p><span style="font-size:12pt"><span style="font-family:"Times New Roman","serif"">March 2: After the tight monetary policy adopted by Nepal Rastra Bank (NRB) reduced credit expansion, the credit-deposit ratio (CD ratio) of commercial banks finally started to decline. After the ease in CD ratio of the banks, which have been facing liquidity problem since the last fiscal year, their additional credit expansion capacity has reached more than Rs 175 billion.</span></span></p> <p><span style="font-size:12pt"><span style="font-family:"Times New Roman","serif"">According to NRB, the total deposits of banks and financial institutes (BFIs) have reached Rs 5377 billion as of Monday.</span></span></p> <p><span style="font-size:12pt"><span style="font-family:"Times New Roman","serif"">Out of this amount, commercial banks have deposits of Rs 4740 billion. With the average CD ratio of only 86.22 percent, they have the ability to extend loans of more than Rs 175 billion. As instructed by NRB, banks should maintain CD ratio within 90 percent.</span></span></p> <p><span style="font-size:12pt"><span style="font-family:"Times New Roman","serif"">According to the data published up to the period of mid-January of the current FY by NRB, the CD ratio of most of the commercial banks looks good. Among the 22 commercial banks in operation during this period, only Kumari Bank's CD ratio is higher than the limit set by NRB. Similarly, the CD ratio of Global IME Bank and Nabil Bank is close to 90 percent.</span></span></p> <p><span style="font-size:12pt"><span style="font-family:"Times New Roman","serif"">Standard Chartered Bank has the lowest CD ratio at 78.73 percent. Apart from this, NRB informed that the CD ratio of Rastriya Banijya Bank, Nepal Bank, Sanima Bank and SBI Bank is less than 85 percent.</span></span></p> <p><span style="font-size:12pt"><span style="font-family:"Times New Roman","serif"">Sunil KC, president of Nepal Bankers Association and CEO of NMB Bank, the CD ratio of banks has eased because the banks have not disbursed loans despite to good deposits mainly because of remittance inflow. </span></span></p> <p><span style="font-size:12pt"><span style="font-family:"Times New Roman","serif""> “Currently the CD ratio has eased as there is no demand for new loans in banks. Only small investments are being made to the customers and deposit growth rate is good as well. In recent times, loans have become expensive along with the lack of liquidity, deterring industrialists from taking new loans from banks. The industrialists are in a wait-and-watch state as there is also a movement against the banks’ interest rates,” said KC, adding, “Similarly, due to the impact of Covid-19 and the Russia-Ukraine tension, inflation has risen and economic activity has decreased, so the demand for loans in the market is low. However, since the rate of inflation has been decreasing recently and the economic indicators are easing, the bankers expect credit to expand gradually.”</span></span></p> <p><span style="font-size:12pt"><span style="font-family:"Times New Roman","serif""> KC says that the interest rates on bank deposits have started to decrease and borrowers will get relief by the next quarter. He said that the interest rate will also decrease due to the concession given by NRB by reducing the spread rate and bank rate.</span></span></p> <p><span style="font-size:12pt"><span style="font-family:"Times New Roman","serif"">After much criticism over the high interest rates of banks, NRB announced to reduce the spread rate of the banks through the first quarter review of the monetary policy of the current fiscal year. It issued instructions mid-December and asked banks to reduce the spread rate in two stages. According to the instructions, commercial banks will have to reduce the spread rate to 4.2 percent from mid-March 2023 and development banks and finance companies will have to reduce it to 4.8 percent. From mid-June 2023, commercial banks have to apply 4 percent spread rate and development banks and finance companies have to apply 4.6 percent. By reducing the spread rate till mid-April, the interest rate on loan will decline from mid-April.</span></span></p> <p><span style="font-size:12pt"><span style="font-family:"Times New Roman","serif"">Likewise, NRB reduced the overnight repo interest rate by 1.5 percentage points to 7.5 percent from the half-yearly review of monetary policy. It is also expected that the cost of capital of banks will decrease and the interest rate will decrease to some extent.</span></span></p> <p><span style="font-size:12pt"><span style="font-family:"Times New Roman","serif"">Anil Sharma, CEO of Bankers' Association said, “Now there is no room for banks' interest rates to go up. The policy concession given by NRB will also reduce the interest rate, but they will have to wait until the next quarter.”</span></span></p> <p> </p> ', 'published' => true, 'created' => '2023-03-02', 'modified' => '2023-03-02', 'keywords' => '', 'description' => '', 'sortorder' => '16901', 'image' => '20230302061305_Banks.jpg', 'article_date' => '2023-03-02 18:12:24', 'homepage' => false, 'breaking_news' => false, 'main_news' => true, 'in_scroller' => null, 'user_id' => '34' ) ), (int) 14 => array( 'Article' => array( 'id' => '17162', 'article_category_id' => '1', 'title' => ' DPM Shrestha to Leave for Doha to Participate in LDCs Conference on Friday ', 'sub_title' => '', 'summary' => 'Deputy Prime Minister and Minister for Physical Infrastructure and Transport Narayan Kaji Shrestha will be leaving for Doha of Qatar to take part in the Conference of the Least Developed Countries (LDCs) on Friday. ', 'content' => '<p> </p> <p>March 3: Deputy Prime Minister and Minister for Physical Infrastructure and Transport Narayan Kaji Shrestha will be leaving for Doha of Qatar to take part in the Conference of the Least Developed Countries (LDCs) on Friday. </p> <p>According to the Ministry of Foreign Affairs, the Deputy Prime Minister will be leading the Nepali delegation to the Fifth United Nations Conference on the Least Developed Countries (LDCs) to be held in Doha, the State of Qatar, from 5 to 9 March, 2023. </p> <p>Prior to the event, the Deputy Prime Minister will address the Summit of the LDC Group to be held on the 4th of March, coordinated by Malawi, the current chair of the LDC group. </p> <p>Nepal is scheduled to take the chairmanship of the group of LDCs this year. In Doha, the Deputy Prime Minister Shrestha is scheduled to address the plenary session of the Conference and hold bilateral meetings with delegations from different countries and organizations. </p> <p>Minister Shrestha will also interact with the representatives of the organizations of Nepali diaspora. The Nepali delegation will include Dr. Min Bahadur Shrestha, Vice-chairman of National Planning Commission, lawmaker Jitendra Narayan Dev, government secretaries and the ambassador of Nepal to the State of Qatar and other senior officials. The Deputy Prime Minister will return from Doha on March 7. ---RSS <br /> </p> ', 'published' => true, 'created' => '2023-03-02', 'modified' => '2023-03-02', 'keywords' => '', 'description' => '', 'sortorder' => '16900', 'image' => '20230302055454_collage - 2023-03-02T174415.054.jpg', 'article_date' => '2023-03-02 17:52:35', 'homepage' => false, 'breaking_news' => false, 'main_news' => true, 'in_scroller' => null, '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
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The epicenters of the earthquakes were located at Patalkot of Achham and Kashikhand of Kavrepalanchok districts, according to the National Earthquake Monitoring and Research Center, Lainchaur, Kathmandu. </span><br /> <span style="font-family:"Arial Unicode MS","sans-serif"">The earthquake measuring 4.4 in the Richter scale occurred at 8:35 am in Achham while a magnitude 4.3 earthquake occurred in Kavrepalanchok at 8:03 am this morning (Sunday). </span><br /> <span style="font-family:"Arial Unicode MS","sans-serif"">There has been a rise in incidents of earthquakes in different parts of the country of late. -- RSS </span></span></span></p> ', 'published' => true, 'created' => '2023-03-05', 'modified' => '2023-03-05', 'keywords' => 'earthquake, quake, tremor, Richter, scale, measure, Nepal, Kavre, Achham, rising, epicentre', 'description' => '', 'sortorder' => '16915', 'image' => '20230305113159_earthquake-richter.jpg', 'article_date' => '2023-03-05 11:31:19', 'homepage' => false, 'breaking_news' => false, 'main_news' => true, 'in_scroller' => false, 'user_id' => '34' ) ), (int) 1 => array( 'Article' => array( 'id' => '17176', 'article_category_id' => '1', 'title' => 'Mardi Himal Trek Getting Electricity Facility ', 'sub_title' => '', 'summary' => 'March 5: The Mardi Himal trek, a lesser-known trekking route in the Annapurna region, is getting popularity of late by attracting both domestic and foreign tourists. ', 'content' => '<p><span style="font-size:18px"><span style="font-family:"Times New Roman","serif""><span style="font-family:"Arial Unicode MS","sans-serif"">March 5: The Mardi Himal trek, a lesser-known trekking route in the Annapurna region, is getting popularity of late by attracting both domestic and foreign tourists. </span><br /> <span style="font-family:"Arial Unicode MS","sans-serif"">The trekking route that offers majestic views of the Himalayan mountain range was almost forgotten until almost a decade ago. Its popularity has been lately increasing across the globe for being one of the best and challenging treks in the world. The trek is lined up with hospitality facilities including around 80 small and big hotels and restaurants to serve visiting tourists. </span><br /> <span style="font-family:"Arial Unicode MS","sans-serif"">However, there is a lack of variety of other facilities like electricity, internet and telephone. As a result, tourists and local people visiting the area have to suffer a lot. They have to face various problems like not getting their gadgets and electrical appliances charged. But, efforts are on to equip the trekking route with electricity, the locals said. </span><br /> <span style="font-family:"Arial Unicode MS","sans-serif"">The transmission line has reached up to Kalimati of Mardi, Ghalel and Pritam Daurali. The Nepal Electricity Authority (NEA) is at work to expand electricity along the trek under the initiative of the local tourism entrepreneurs and the Machhapuchre Rural Municipality. </span><br /> <span style="font-family:"Arial Unicode MS","sans-serif"">The NEA Gandaki Provincial Office has called for a bid to expand electricity up to the upper area of Mardi, said Ram Gurung, ward chair of the rural municipality-8.</span></span></span></p> <p><span style="font-size:18px"><span style="font-family:"Times New Roman","serif""><span style="font-family:"Arial Unicode MS","sans-serif"">"We had for long been demanding the electrification of Mardi. The NEA has started the process of expanding electricity. This will contribute to the local tourism," he said. </span><br /> <span style="font-family:"Arial Unicode MS","sans-serif"">The Pokhara distribution centre had last year carried out a study on expanding electricity to the upper camp through a high tension line from the transformer at Kalimati or Siding in the rural municipality. The NEA has prioritised the electricity expansion. </span><br /> <span style="font-family:"Arial Unicode MS","sans-serif"">The tourists have to face various problems without electricity ranging from not getting their gadgets charged, said owner of the local Mardi Himal eco village, Shiva Prasad Bhandari, also the founding secretary of the Mardi Himal trek management committee. </span><br /> <span style="font-family:"Arial Unicode MS","sans-serif"">Some areas of the village are provided with solar power and internet. But, they do not work properly when the weather is bad, he said. </span><br /> <span style="font-family:"Arial Unicode MS","sans-serif"">"The main problem here is lack of electricity. Tourists have been deprived of facilities without power. With the increasing inflow of tourists, the number of hotels has increased. But, many facilities are lacking. We are now encouraged by the NEA's initiatives to expand power," he said. -- RSS </span></span></span></p> <p> </p> ', 'published' => true, 'created' => '2023-03-05', 'modified' => '2023-03-05', 'keywords' => '', 'description' => '', 'sortorder' => '16914', 'image' => '20230305101707_20230304102843_20220718030551_fishtail-seen-from-mardi-himal-base-camp.jpg', 'article_date' => '2023-03-05 10:16:02', 'homepage' => false, 'breaking_news' => false, 'main_news' => true, 'in_scroller' => null, 'user_id' => '34' ) ), (int) 2 => array( 'Article' => array( 'id' => '17175', 'article_category_id' => '277', 'title' => 'Sugar Mill Faces Sugarcane Scarcity ', 'sub_title' => '', 'summary' => 'Baba Baijanath Sugar Mill has not been able to crush sugarcanes in accordance with its capacity in Rautahat. ', 'content' => '<p><span style="font-size:18px">March 5: Baba Baijanath Sugar Mill has not been able to crush sugarcanes in accordance with its capacity in Rautahat. </span></p> <p><span style="font-size:18px">Following the decline of sugarcane production in the district, the mill has been experiencing dearth of sugarcanes for the last few years. The mill has capacity to crush 20,000 quintals of sugarcane in a day. The mill, however, is crushing the less than 7,000 quintals of the sugarcane on a daily basis. </span></p> <p><span style="font-size:18px">Sugar Mill Proprietor Baiju Babara complained that sugarcane shortage had put the mill on the verge of closure. <br /> The mill had crushed just 0.6 million quintals of sugarcane last year. “Operating the mill below its capacity has incurred heavy loss for the mill,” said Babara. </span></p> <p><span style="font-size:18px">Farmers have reduced the cultivation of the sugarcane due to some sugar mills’ failure to pay the farmers on regular basis. Mill proprietor Babara says that his mill has no issue regarding the payment to the sugarcane farmers. “We have been paying the sugarcane farmers at their doorstep and encouraging them. Despite this, the production has declined,” Babara said.</span></p> <p><span style="font-size:18px">Farmers from Bara and Sarlahi used to sell sugarcane to the mill. The government ban to sell sugarcane from one district to another has aggravated the scarcity of the sugarcane, according to Barabara. </span></p> <p><span style="font-size:18px">Baijanath Sugar Mill has been helping farmers with seed, fertilizer and payment at their place. Besides, the mill has also provided a cane harvester to the farmers.</span></p> <p><span style="font-size:18px">Rautahat used to produce more than 2 million quintals of sugarcane in the past. The sugarcane production stands at between 1 to 1.2 million quintals a year at the moment, according to Sugarcane Producers’ Association Rautahat said. The mill has to be shut down earlier though the mill would operate till April in normal condition, said Baijanath. </span></p> <p><br /> </p> ', 'published' => true, 'created' => '2023-03-05', 'modified' => '2023-03-05', 'keywords' => '', 'description' => '', 'sortorder' => '16913', 'image' => '20230305070954_collage (13).jpg', 'article_date' => '2023-03-05 07:06:20', 'homepage' => false, 'breaking_news' => false, 'main_news' => true, 'in_scroller' => false, 'user_id' => '42' ) ), (int) 3 => array( 'Article' => array( 'id' => '17173', 'article_category_id' => '1', 'title' => 'Increase in Hotel Bookings Signals Revival of Tourism Sector', 'sub_title' => '', 'summary' => 'March 4: Foreign tourists are gradually starting to appear in Thamel, the major tourist hub in the federal capital, Kathmandu. ', 'content' => '<p><span style="font-size:11pt"><span style="font-family:Calibri,"sans-serif""><span style="font-family:"Arial Unicode MS","sans-serif"">March 4: Foreign tourists are gradually starting to appear in Thamel, the major tourist hub in the federal capital, Kathmandu. </span><br /> <span style="font-family:"Arial Unicode MS","sans-serif"">With the reappearance of large number of tourists in the streets of Thamel, tourism entrepreneurs are hoping for a revival of their business, severely hit by the COVID-19 pandemic. </span><br /> <span style="font-family:"Arial Unicode MS","sans-serif"">"The tourism sector of Nepal, which has been suffering since the coronavirus pandemic for a long time, is happy with the arrival of tourists," said President of Trekking Agencies Association of Nepal (TAAN), Nilhari Bastola. </span><br /> <span style="font-family:"Arial Unicode MS","sans-serif"">The months of March, April and May are considered as the start of tourist season in Nepal. The number of hotel bookings by foreign tourists has increased with the start of the tourist season, said Gopal Pangeni, the owner of a four-star hotel, Ramada Encore, in Thamel. He said that 70 percent rooms in his hotel with 92 rooms, have been booked for March and 90 percent for April and May. </span><br /> <span style="font-family:"Arial Unicode MS","sans-serif"">This shows that that the tourism sector of Nepal will gradually gain momentum in the months to come. </span><br /> <span style="font-family:"Arial Unicode MS","sans-serif"">More than 80 percent of the tourism business in Thamel relies on foreign tourists while 20 percent of the business comes from domestic tourists. There are more than a thousand hotels in and around the Thamel area. </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"">"Foreign tourists have gradually started to be seen in the inner streets of Thamel," said President of Thamel Tourism Development Council Bhaviswar Sharma. </span><br /> <span style="font-family:"Arial Unicode MS","sans-serif"">Likewise, the guests coming for late-night entertainment have also started getting crowded. During the weekends on Friday and Saturday, there is more activity in Thamel. Night clubs in Thamel have also started to return to usual business. </span><br /> <span style="font-family:"Arial Unicode MS","sans-serif"">Proprietor of the Shot Station Restaurant and Bar, Dharmaraj Paneru, said that the number of foreign guests who come to Thamel for entertainment at night has increased. "Since the last 15 days, the night business is gradually getting better, which has made us happy," he says. </span><br /> <span style="font-family:"Arial Unicode MS","sans-serif"">Director of Nepal Tourism Board Maniraj Lamichhane says that the arrival of foreign tourists is encouraging in recent days. </span><br /> <span style="font-family:"Arial Unicode MS","sans-serif"">A total of 73,255 tourists visited Nepal by air in the month of February 2023. In January the number was 55,074. Last year in February only 19,766 tourists had arrived in Nepal while it was just 9,146 tourists in 2021, according to records maintained by the NTB. -- RSS</span></span></span></p> ', 'published' => true, 'created' => '2023-03-04', 'modified' => '2023-03-04', 'keywords' => '', 'description' => '', 'sortorder' => '16911', 'image' => '20230304100605_20200306100011_20200130020146_hotels.jpg', 'article_date' => '2023-03-04 22:05:37', 'homepage' => false, 'breaking_news' => false, 'main_news' => true, 'in_scroller' => null, 'user_id' => '34' ) ), (int) 4 => array( 'Article' => array( 'id' => '17172', 'article_category_id' => '1', 'title' => ' Event on Climate Change to Take Place at Syangboche on March 8 ', 'sub_title' => '', 'summary' => 'March 3: A special programme has been scheduled to take place at Syangboche of Solukhumbu on coming March 8 on the occasion of the International Women's Day. ', 'content' => '<p><span style="font-size:11pt"><span style="font-family:Calibri,"sans-serif""><span style="font-family:"Arial Unicode MS","sans-serif"">March 3: A special programme has been scheduled to take place at Syangboche of Solukhumbu on coming March 8 on the occasion of the International Women's Day. </span><br /> <span style="font-family:"Arial Unicode MS","sans-serif"">The event aims to draw the global attention towards the impact of climate change on mountain life and call for climate justice to the affected community. </span><br /> <span style="font-family:"Arial Unicode MS","sans-serif""> The event to be organised by 'Sath Saathai' a women-focused non-profitable organisation, is supported by the Ministry of Forest and Environment, Ministry of Culture, Tourism and Civil Aviation, UNDP, ICIMOD, NTNC, and Embassy of the United Arab Emirates in Nepal. </span><br /> <span style="font-family:"Arial Unicode MS","sans-serif""> The organisation hosted the 'Mission to Kalpathhar' campaign last year on the occasion of International Women's Day and it concluded by issuing the 10-point Kalapaththar declaration. </span><br /> <span style="font-family:"Arial Unicode MS","sans-serif"">According to organisation chair Prajeeta Karki, following the Kalapaththar declaration, the organisation has decided to reach the site each year with programme aiming to advocate for and promote climate justice. </span><br /> <span style="font-family:"Arial Unicode MS","sans-serif"">Deputy Speaker Indira Rana Magar, Supreme Court judge Sapana Pradhan Malla, National Assembly member and former Minister Dr Bimala Paudyal Rai, representatives from the UAE Embassy and climate experts are among those attending the event. </span><br /> <span style="font-family:"Arial Unicode MS","sans-serif"">"Through the event, we want to create pressure on the bodies concern and the government to raise the issues about climate change impact on mountain life seriously during 28th Conference of the Parties to the UN Framework Convention on Climate Change (COP28), 2023 to be hosted by the UAE. </span><br /> <span style="font-family:"Arial Unicode MS","sans-serif"">The organisation has planned another seminar at Namche of Solukhumbu aiming to highlight the impact of climate change on women's life. </span><br /> <span style="font-family:"Arial Unicode MS","sans-serif"">The objectives of programes are to empower women for climate change-resilient societies, to seek support from the international community for the empowerment of target groups and to draw the global attention towards challenges caused climate change in the mountainous and low-lying areas and snow melting as a consequences of climate change. </span><br /> <span style="font-family:"Arial Unicode MS","sans-serif""> In addition to this, a national level dialogue on the 'Gravity of Climate Change and Climate Justice' has been scheduled to take place in Kathmandu on coming March 17. -- RSS </span></span></span></p> ', 'published' => true, 'created' => '2023-03-03', 'modified' => '2023-03-03', 'keywords' => '', 'description' => '', 'sortorder' => '16910', 'image' => '20230303055602_a19d4bd5373c6d71741e191658b7bee2.jpg', 'article_date' => '2023-03-03 17:55:40', 'homepage' => false, 'breaking_news' => false, 'main_news' => true, 'in_scroller' => null, 'user_id' => '34' ) ), (int) 5 => array( 'Article' => array( 'id' => '17171', 'article_category_id' => '1', 'title' => 'Price of Gold Drops by Rs 100 Per Tola', 'sub_title' => '', 'summary' => 'March 3: The price of gold has declined by Rs 100 per tola (11.66 grams) on Friday and is being traded at Rs 102,500 per tola.', 'content' => '<p><span style="font-size:11pt"><span style="font-family:Calibri,"sans-serif""><span style="font-family:"Arial Unicode MS","sans-serif"">March 3: The price of gold has declined by Rs 100 per tola (11.66 grams) on Friday and is being traded at Rs 102,500 per tola. The precious yellow metal was traded at Rs 102,600 per tola on the previous trading day (Thursday). </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"">Similarly, price of worked gold has been fixed at Rs 102,000 per tola against Rs 102,100 on the previous trading day, according to the Federation of Nepal Gold and Silver Dealers Association. </span><br /> <span style="font-family:"Arial Unicode MS","sans-serif"">Likewise, the price of silver has decreased Rs 5 per tola and is being traded at Rs 1,265 per tola, said the federation. -- RSS </span></span></span></p> ', 'published' => true, 'created' => '2023-03-03', 'modified' => '2023-03-03', 'keywords' => '', 'description' => '', 'sortorder' => '16909', 'image' => '20230303052144_gold.jpg', 'article_date' => '2023-03-03 17:21:06', 'homepage' => false, 'breaking_news' => false, 'main_news' => true, 'in_scroller' => null, 'user_id' => '34' ) ), (int) 6 => array( 'Article' => array( 'id' => '17170', 'article_category_id' => '1', 'title' => 'Nepali Tea Companies Win Gold Medal in International Competition ', 'sub_title' => '', 'summary' => ' Nepali tea producing companies have been awarded for their taste and quality in the international contest. Nepali tea companies won the gold and silver medals in “Second Tea Quality Competition in China” organized by China Tea Marketing Association from September 20 to 21, 2022.', 'content' => '<p><br /> <span style="font-size:18px">March 3: Nepali tea producing companies have been awarded for their taste and quality in the international contest. </span></p> <p><span style="font-size:18px">Nepali tea companies have won gold and silver medals in “Second Tea Quality Competition in China” organized by China Tea Marketing Association from September 20 to 21, 2022.</span></p> <p><span style="font-size:18px">At the programme organized by National Tea and Coffee Development Board in Kathmandu, the awards were distributed on Thursday. The board had collected 40 tea samples from across the country and sent 16 tea samples after test of their quality and taste to China for the competition. </span></p> <p><span style="font-size:18px">Tinjure Tea Farmer Cooperative Society Limited has bagged Pearl Golden Black tea award. Likewise, Farmer Tea Processing Industry’s FT Himalayn Gold, Himalayan Shangrila Tea Producers’ Shangrila gold, Gorkah Tea Estate Private Limited’s GTE Golden tea, Siddha Devi Tea Estate Private Limited’s Silver wings, and Kanchanjunga Organic Orthodox Tea Industry’s Golden Tips tea have won gold medals. </span></p> <p><span style="font-size:18px">In the same manner, Himalayan Shangrila Tea Producers’ Himlayan Sunrise Beauty, Shree Baraha Tea Industry’s Special black tea, Tinjure Farmer Cooperative Society Limited’s Normal Golden Black tea and Maina Pokhari Tea Processing Industry’s MP 10 Mirmire have won silver medals. </span></p> <p><span style="font-size:18px">Tea was planted in 16,917 hectares of the land and as many as 23,745 metric tons of tea was produced in the fiscal year of 2077/78 in Nepal. More than 17,000 tea farmers and over 60,000 workers are involved in the tea business at the moment.</span></p> <p><span style="font-size:18px">Nepal exported 11,920 metric tons of the tea worth Rs 3.79 billion in the last fiscal year, according to the Department of Customs. Tea farmers bemoan that they are selling their produce at low price despite its excellent quality. Nepal has a potential to export tea worth more than Rs 10 billion in a year. </span></p> ', 'published' => true, 'created' => '2023-03-03', 'modified' => '2023-03-03', 'keywords' => '', 'description' => '', 'sortorder' => '16908', 'image' => '20230303045430_collage - 2023-03-03T165309.178.jpg', 'article_date' => '2023-03-03 16:50:54', 'homepage' => false, 'breaking_news' => false, 'main_news' => true, 'in_scroller' => false, 'user_id' => '42' ) ), (int) 7 => array( 'Article' => array( 'id' => '17169', 'article_category_id' => '1', 'title' => 'Laxmi Intercontinental Launches Face-lifted Version of Grand i10 Nios,', 'sub_title' => '', 'summary' => 'Laxmi Intercontinental, the authorised distributor of Hyundai vehicles in Nepal, has launched the face-lifted version of its popular model Grand i10 Nios, highlighted as 'More The Merrier'. ', 'content' => '<p><span style="font-size:18px">March 3: Laxmi Intercontinental, the authorised distributor of Hyundai vehicles in Nepal, has launched the face-lifted version of its popular model Grand i10 Nios, highlighted as 'More The Merrier'. </span></p> <p><span style="font-size:18px">This hatchback segment is set to take the automotive segment to a new height, due to its new and innovative irresistible combination of cutting-edge technology, high performance, attractive design, distinctive features, and thoughtful safety features that cater to the modern driver's needs, says the company in its press statement. </span></p> <p><span style="font-size:18px">With its new benchmark-setting features, the Grand i10 Nios is anticipated to become another best-selling car in the Nepali market. </span></p> <p><span style="font-size:18px">Lightbar connected by LED Tail Lights on the rear part of the car has given a distinctive looks to the car. Similarly, painted Black Radiator Grille and LED Daytime Running Lamps(DRLS) on the front of the Grand i10 Nios have made the car stylish and sporty. </span></p> <p><span style="font-size:18px">The all-new Grand i10 Nios is available in Era, Magna, and Sportz variants in MT option and Magna and Sportz in AMT option with a starting price of Rs 2.996 million.</span></p> ', 'published' => true, 'created' => '2023-03-03', 'modified' => '2023-03-03', 'keywords' => '', 'description' => '', 'sortorder' => '16907', 'image' => '20230303040007_collage - 2023-03-03T155904.985.jpg', 'article_date' => '2023-03-03 15:56:34', 'homepage' => false, 'breaking_news' => false, 'main_news' => true, 'in_scroller' => false, 'user_id' => '42' ) ), (int) 8 => array( 'Article' => array( 'id' => '17168', 'article_category_id' => '1', 'title' => 'Public Declaration of Defaulting on Loans is Objectionable: Bankers', 'sub_title' => '', 'summary' => 'March 3: Umbrella organisations of banks and financial institutions (BFIs) have expressed concerns towards public statements made by the debtors that they will not pay back the loans.', 'content' => '<p><span style="font-size:12pt"><span style="font-family:"Times New Roman","serif"">March 3: Umbrella organisations of banks and financial institutions (BFIs) have expressed concerns towards public statements made by the debtors that they will not pay back the loans.</span></span></p> <p><span style="font-size:12pt"><span style="font-family:"Times New Roman","serif"">The BFIs have requested the government to check this troublesome trend on time.</span></span></p> <p><span style="font-size:12pt"><span style="font-family:"Times New Roman","serif"">Four umbrella organizations of BFIs issued a joint statement on Thursday and made such request to the government after attacks on bank employees and the formal declaration made by the defaulters that they will not pay back the loans.</span></span></p> <p><span style="font-size:12pt"><span style="font-family:"Times New Roman","serif"">Nepal Bankers Association, the umbrella organization of commercial banks, Development Bankers Association Nepal, the umbrella organization of development banks, Nepal Financial Institutions Association, the umbrella organization of finance companies, and Nepal Microfinance Bankers Association, the umbrella organization of microfinance companies, issued a joint statement and urged the government to control such chaotic activities.</span></span></p> <p><span style="font-size:12pt"><span style="font-family:"Times New Roman","serif"">The statement reads, “Recently, our attention has been drawn to the negative comments and agitation announced by some individuals against banks/financial and microfinance institutions and the threatening expressions and behavior to discourage bank employees. We are confident that the state's attention has gone towards controlling the incident in time.”</span></span></p> <p><span style="font-size:12pt"><span style="font-family:"Times New Roman","serif"">Banks and financial institutions have collected more than Rs 5400 billion deposits from over 483 million customers’ deposit accounts and have mobilized loans of more than Rs 4800 billion through more than 1.8 million borrowers. </span></span></p> <p><span style="font-size:12pt"><span style="font-family:"Times New Roman","serif"">This sector has created more than 530,00 direct jobs, paid more than Rs 34 billion in taxes to the state in the last fiscal year and have directly given more than Rs 10 billion to borrowers through interest rate discounts during the Covid-19 pandemic.</span></span></p> <p><span style="font-size:12pt"><span style="font-family:"Times New Roman","serif"">Similarly, in the remote areas of the country, microfinance institutions have provided services to more than 6 million depositors and more than 32 million borrowers, as well as created more than 23,000 direct jobs. Banks/financial and microfinance institutions are providing banking services subjected to the policies/instructions issued by the regulatory bodies and various laws and they are always aware of the rights and interests of their customers, added the statement.</span></span></p> <p><span style="font-size:12pt"><span style="font-family:"Times New Roman","serif"">They say that if there is any problem, it would be beneficial to discuss with the related organizations and proceed accordingly. Similarly, by making the banking sector stronger, the associations said they are expecting the support and cooperation of all stakeholders to help the economic development of the country.</span></span></p> <p> </p> ', 'published' => true, 'created' => '2023-03-03', 'modified' => '2023-03-03', 'keywords' => '', 'description' => '', 'sortorder' => '16906', 'image' => '20230303023829_Bad Loan.jpg', 'article_date' => '2023-03-03 14:37:42', 'homepage' => false, 'breaking_news' => false, 'main_news' => true, 'in_scroller' => null, 'user_id' => '34' ) ), (int) 9 => array( 'Article' => array( 'id' => '17167', 'article_category_id' => '1', 'title' => 'A Place Where Villagers have to Pay Money to Cross a River!', 'sub_title' => '', 'summary' => 'March 3: The locals of Bhajani Municipality of Kailali district have been dreaming of a concrete bridge for 12 years. ', 'content' => '<p><span style="font-size:12pt"><span style="font-family:"Times New Roman","serif""><span style="font-size:15.0pt"><span style="font-family:"Nirmala UI","sans-serif"">March 3: The locals of Bhajani Municipality of Kailali district have been dreaming of a concrete bridge for 12 years. The locals are hopeful the once the construction of the motorable bridge gets complete, they will no longer have to pay the money just to cross a river.</span></span></span></span></p> <p><span style="font-size:12pt"><span style="font-family:"Times New Roman","serif""><span style="font-size:15.0pt"><span style="font-family:"Nirmala UI","sans-serif"">The local residents of this municipality have to pay money to cross the Kandra and other rivers. </span></span></span></span></p> <p><span style="font-size:12pt"><span style="font-family:"Times New Roman","serif""><span style="font-size:15.0pt"><span style="font-family:"Nirmala UI","sans-serif"">"One has to pay Rs 30 per day just to cross the river to visit the municipality for daily work. That means, an individual has to pay Rs 900 per month only to cross the river," said Rupak Saud, a local. </span></span></span></span></p> <p><span style="font-size:12pt"><span style="font-family:"Times New Roman","serif""><span style="font-size:15.0pt"><span style="font-family:"Nirmala UI","sans-serif"">He says that the locals will have to suffer until a concrete bridge comes into operation. Saud says that the municipality is giving them trouble by collecting money for crossing a river.</span></span></span></span></p> <p><span style="font-size:12pt"><span style="font-family:"Times New Roman","serif""><span style="font-size:15.0pt"><span style="font-family:"Nirmala UI","sans-serif"">He added that the construction company that was awarded the contract to build a bridge is making profit by delaying the construction work.</span></span></span></span></p> <p><span style="font-size:12pt"><span style="font-family:"Times New Roman","serif""><span style="font-size:15.0pt"><span style="font-family:"Nirmala UI","sans-serif"">Big vehicles are made to cross the river instead of using the under-construction bridge. Another local Bhojraj Kafle says that the contractors in collusion with the local authorities collect money from vehicles while crossing the river. </span></span></span></span></p> <p><span style="font-size:12pt"><span style="font-family:"Times New Roman","serif""><span style="font-size:15.0pt"><span style="font-family:"Nirmala UI","sans-serif"">“It has been more than a decade since the construction of a concrete bridge over the Kandra River started. The middlemen are the reason why the bridge has not been built on time. There are people who collect hundreds of thousands of rupees annually in the name of river contracts," he says, "Otherwise, what is the reason that local stakeholders are not interested in the construction of the bridge?"</span></span></span></span></p> <p><span style="font-size:12pt"><span style="font-family:"Times New Roman","serif""><span style="font-size:15.0pt"><span style="font-family:"Nirmala UI","sans-serif"">The distance between Tikapur and Dhangadhi via the Postal Highway is 75 kilometers. Traveling through Mahendra Highway (East-West Highway) takes a little longer. </span></span></span></span></p> <p><span style="font-size:12pt"><span style="font-family:"Times New Roman","serif""><span style="font-size:15.0pt"><span style="font-family:"Nirmala UI","sans-serif"">Bintiram Chaudhury of Tikapur argues that the Postal Highway cannot be used right now due to the lack of a concrete bridge over the Kandra River. He said that he has to live in Kailari Rural Municipality because of his job and he has to pay for river crossing while returning home once a week.</span></span></span></span></p> <p><span style="font-size:12pt"><span style="font-family:"Times New Roman","serif""><span style="font-size:15.0pt"><span style="font-family:"Nirmala UI","sans-serif"">According to Chaudhary, the contractor says that they have paid money to the municipality to utilize the river under a contract.</span></span></span></span></p> <p><span style="font-size:12pt"><span style="font-family:"Times New Roman","serif""><span style="font-size:15.0pt"><span style="font-family:"Nirmala UI","sans-serif"">Therefore, they have been charging the locals for crossing the river.</span></span></span></span></p> <p><span style="font-size:12pt"><span style="font-family:"Times New Roman","serif""><span style="font-size:15.0pt"><span style="font-family:"Nirmala UI","sans-serif"">Bhajani Municipality has given Kandra River and its tributaries under a short-term contract. The contractor has been operating boats for fishing in the river. According to the municipality, the contract has been signed for one fiscal year and it has helped the municipality collect internal source of income. </span></span></span></span></p> <p><span style="font-size:12pt"><span style="font-family:"Times New Roman","serif""><span style="font-size:15.0pt"><span style="font-family:"Nirmala UI","sans-serif"">Mayor Keval Chaudhary says that the situation where citizens have to pay money to cross the Kandra River will end within this year.</span></span></span></span></p> <p><span style="font-size:12pt"><span style="font-family:"Times New Roman","serif""><span style="font-size:15.0pt"><span style="font-family:"Nirmala UI","sans-serif"">He said that the construction of a motorable bridge over the Kandra River along the Postal Highway is in the final stage and will come into operation in a few months. -- RSS</span></span></span></span></p> <p> </p> ', 'published' => true, 'created' => '2023-03-03', 'modified' => '2023-03-03', 'keywords' => '', 'description' => '', 'sortorder' => '16905', 'image' => '20230303012530_1677827539.कान्द्रा नदी पुल.jpg', 'article_date' => '2023-03-03 13:24:52', 'homepage' => false, 'breaking_news' => false, 'main_news' => true, 'in_scroller' => null, 'user_id' => '34' ) ), (int) 10 => array( 'Article' => array( 'id' => '17166', 'article_category_id' => '1', 'title' => 'Nepali Congress in a Comfortable Position to Win Presidential Election', 'sub_title' => '', 'summary' => 'March 3: Senior leader Ram Chandra Paudel of the Nepali Congress, the largest party in the House of Representatives, and Subas Chandra Nembang, the vice chairman of the second largest party, CPN-UML, are all set to contest in the presidential election on March 9.', 'content' => '<p><span style="font-size:11pt"><span style="font-family:Calibri,"sans-serif""><span style="font-size:14.0pt"><span style="font-family:"Arial","sans-serif"">March 3: Senior leader Ram Chandra Paudel of the Nepali Congress, the largest party in the House of Representatives, and Subas Chandra Nembang, the vice chairman of the second largest party, CPN-UML, are all set to contest in the presidential election on March 9.</span></span></span></span></p> <p><span style="font-size:11pt"><span style="font-family:Calibri,"sans-serif""><span style="font-size:14.0pt"><span style="font-family:"Arial","sans-serif"">After the registration of nominees, UML has intensified attempts to canvass votes for the election. On the other hand, the Nepali Congress seems to be in a comfortable position to secure majority votes with the backup of eight political parties. A new eight-party alliance has formed under the initiative of chairman of CPN (Maoist Center) Pushpa Kamal Dahal, who is also the prime minister, after his party decided to back NC candidate instead of UML.</span></span></span></span></p> <p><span style="font-size:11pt"><span style="font-family:Calibri,"sans-serif""><span style="font-size:14.0pt"><span style="font-family:"Arial","sans-serif"">The victory of NC candidate Paudel in the presidential election seems certain after receiving the votes of the coalition partners.</span></span></span></span></p> <p><span style="font-size:11pt"><span style="font-family:Calibri,"sans-serif""><span style="font-size:14.0pt"><span style="font-family:"Arial","sans-serif"">On the other hand, UML candidate Nembang is making attempts to turn the tide in his favour.</span></span></span></span></p> <p><span style="font-size:11pt"><span style="font-family:Calibri,"sans-serif""><span style="font-size:14.0pt"><span style="font-family:"Arial","sans-serif"">As the date of the election approaches, Nembang is meeting the leaders of various parties to canvass votes. On Thursday, he met CPN (Unified Socialist) Chairman Madhav Kumar Nepal and asked him to vote for him in the presidential election.</span></span></span></span></p> <p><span style="font-size:11pt"><span style="font-family:Calibri,"sans-serif""><span style="font-size:14.0pt"><span style="font-family:"Arial","sans-serif"">The CPN (Unified Socialist) is currently in the Nepali Congress-led eight-party alliance. The UML, which did not even want to recognize the party and did not even want to hear the name of the CPN United Socialist, sent a letter and asked for votes in favour of its candidate in the presidential election.</span></span></span></span></p> <p><span style="font-size:11pt"><span style="font-family:Calibri,"sans-serif""><span style="font-size:14.0pt"><span style="font-family:"Arial","sans-serif"">Similarly, Nembang also reached the office of Rastriya Swatantra Party (RSP) Nepal led by journalist-turned-politician Rabi Lamichhaneto to seek for votes. Not only Nembang, UML Chairman KP Oli is also asking for votes for his candidate. Oli asked National Assembly member Bamdev Gautam, who is also a former UML leader, to vote for Nembang in the presidential election.</span></span></span></span></p> <p><span style="font-size:11pt"><span style="font-family:Calibri,"sans-serif""><span style="font-size:14.0pt"><span style="font-family:"Arial","sans-serif"">However, the Nepali Congress has not made much effort except to send a letter to the UML and ask for votes because the party is already enjoys majority support in parliament. Paudel, who is a strong candidate to win the presidential election with the support from eight parties, is also asking for votes. A few days ago, he met Rabi Lamichhane, chairman of the RSP Nepal and asked him to vote for him in the presidential election.</span></span></span></span></p> <p><span style="font-size:11pt"><span style="font-family:Calibri,"sans-serif""><span style="font-size:14.0pt"><span style="font-family:"Arial","sans-serif"">Poudel has written letters to all MPs asking for their votes. </span></span></span></span></p> <p><span style="font-size:11pt"><span style="font-family:Calibri,"sans-serif""><span style="font-size:14.0pt"><span style="font-family:"Arial","sans-serif"">Paudel is seeking for votes by expressing his commitment to institutionalize a democratic republic and inclusive democracy.</span></span></span></span></p> <p><span style="font-size:11pt"><span style="font-family:Calibri,"sans-serif""><span style="font-size:14.0pt"><span style="font-family:"Arial","sans-serif"">According to the legal provisions regarding the election of the president and vice president, the presidential candidate must receive a majority of the total votes. In the event that no candidate gets the majority votes, there will be a voting again.</span></span></span></span></p> <p><span style="font-size:11pt"><span style="font-family:Calibri,"sans-serif""><span style="font-size:14.0pt"><span style="font-family:"Arial","sans-serif"">How many votes with whom?</span></span></span></span></p> <p><span style="font-size:11pt"><span style="font-family:Calibri,"sans-serif""><span style="font-size:14.0pt"><span style="font-family:"Arial","sans-serif"">A total of 333 members of the Federal Parliament (House of Representatives and National Assembly) and 550 members of the Provincial Assembly will vote in the presidential election. According to the law, one vote of the federal MP will carry the weight of 79 votes. Based on this, the total vote share of 332 MPs of the Federal Parliament (the position of one MP has been vacant) will be 26,228. Rabi Lamichhane, chairman of the RSP, who was elected as a member of the House of Representatives from Chitwan-2, was suspended by the Supreme Court.</span></span></span></span></p> <p><span style="font-size:11pt"><span style="font-family:Calibri,"sans-serif""><span style="font-size:14.0pt"><span style="font-family:"Arial","sans-serif"">Similarly, the weight of votes of provincial assembly members is 48. Based on this, the total number of votes of the members of the provincial assembly is 26,400. That makes the total number of votes in the presidential election 52,628. On this basis, more than 26,314 votes are required to be elected as the president. The Congress-led eight-party alliance has 31,821 votes. In this situation, Nembang will get 20,807 votes even if he gets the votes of all the others parties outside the eight-party alliance.</span></span></span></span></p> <p> </p> ', 'published' => true, 'created' => '2023-03-03', 'modified' => '2023-03-03', 'keywords' => '', 'description' => '', 'sortorder' => '16904', 'image' => '20230303113033_1677758905.President 1.jpg', 'article_date' => '2023-03-03 11:29:54', 'homepage' => false, 'breaking_news' => false, 'main_news' => true, 'in_scroller' => null, 'user_id' => '34' ) ), (int) 11 => array( 'Article' => array( 'id' => '17165', 'article_category_id' => '1', 'title' => 'Government Forms High-Level Taskforce to Study Cyber Security', 'sub_title' => '', 'summary' => 'March 3: The government has formed a high-level committee to prepare a comprehensive report on cyber security by incorporating issues related to policy, law, structure and process and making suggestions accordingly. ', 'content' => '<p><span style="font-size:11pt"><span style="font-family:Calibri,"sans-serif""><span style="font-family:"Arial Unicode MS","sans-serif"">March 3: The government has formed a high-level committee to prepare a comprehensive report on cyber security by incorporating issues related to policy, law, structure and process and making suggestions accordingly. </span><br /> <span style="font-family:"Arial Unicode MS","sans-serif"">The high-level taskforce was formed as per the decision of cabinet meeting on February 27 in response to the proposal presented by the Ministry of Communications and Information Technology. The taskforce has been given a month's time to submit the report. </span><br /> <span style="font-family:"Arial Unicode MS","sans-serif"">Information Ministry Secretary Dr Baikuntha Aryal said on Thursday that IT expert Juddha Bahadur Gurung has been appointed as the coordinator of the committee.</span><br /> <span style="font-family:"Arial Unicode MS","sans-serif"">Other members of the committee are Baburam Dawadi, Saroj Lamichhane, Mona Nyachchho, Prakash Rayamajhi and Bijay Gautam. Besides coordinator Gurung, all other members of the taskforce are from the Nepalese Army and the Nepal Police. </span><br /> <span style="font-family:"Arial Unicode MS","sans-serif"">The taskforce was handed over the responsibility amidst a programme at the ministry on Thursday. Addressing the programme, Minister for Communications and Information Technology Rekha Sharma said the ministry took the initiative to prepare the law and policy on cyber security after the country faced series of threats on this subject. </span><br /> <span style="font-family:"Arial Unicode MS","sans-serif"">She argued that cyber security is in the state's priority list because the country lacks proper regulations despite the use of all sorts of technologies available. </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"">"If cyber security policy is formulated and put in place with budget allocation on time, it would be a significant achievement in the sector of cyber security," she said. </span><br /> <span style="font-family:"Arial Unicode MS","sans-serif"">Secretary Aryal shared that the committee will not just undertake a general study of the pertinent issue, but conduct a comprehensive analysis which could be incorporated in the government policy, programmes and budget. “So, the taskforce has been given a significant responsibility,” he stressed. </span><br /> <span style="font-family:"Arial Unicode MS","sans-serif"">On February 27, the cabinet had decided to manage the data of all government bodies and IT systems in the integrated data centre. </span><br /> <span style="font-family:"Arial Unicode MS","sans-serif"">The taskforce will carry out a thorough study on problems of data management in the integrated data centre, reasons behind problems, flaws and measures to solve the problems. It will make recommendations at technical, human and managerial levels. -- RSS </span></span></span></p> ', 'published' => true, 'created' => '2023-03-03', 'modified' => '2023-03-03', 'keywords' => '', 'description' => '', 'sortorder' => '16903', 'image' => '20230303104736_Cybersecurity-importance - Copy.jpg', 'article_date' => '2023-03-03 10:46:56', 'homepage' => false, 'breaking_news' => false, 'main_news' => true, 'in_scroller' => null, 'user_id' => '34' ) ), (int) 12 => array( 'Article' => array( 'id' => '17164', 'article_category_id' => '268', 'title' => 'Tea Export Surges By 30 Percent ', 'sub_title' => '', 'summary' => 'The export of Nepali tea has increased by 30 percent. The export of Nepali tea has gone up by 29.9 percent in the first seven months of the current fiscal year compared to the same period last fiscal year, according to Trade and Export Promotion Center.', 'content' => '<p><span style="font-size:18px">March 3: The export of Nepali tea has increased by 30 percent. </span></p> <p><span style="font-size:18px">The export of Nepali tea has gone up by 29.9 percent in the first seven months of the current fiscal year compared to the same period last fiscal year, according to Trade and Export Promotion Center.</span></p> <p><span style="font-size:18px">Nepal had exported 7,846 metric tons of the tea worth Rs 2.8 billion in first seven months of the last fiscal year. During the same period in the current fiscal year, total tea export stood at 12,564 metric tons worth Rs 2.71 billion. </span></p> <p><span style="font-size:18px">Nepali tea is being exported to 166 countries including India, the United States of America, Germany and the United Kingdom. In the export of agricultural products, tea comes only after cardamom. </span></p> <p><span style="font-size:18px">According to National Tea and Coffee Development Board, Nepal had exported 11,920 metric tons of the tea worth Rs 3.79 billion in the fiscal year 2077/78.</span></p> <p><span style="font-size:18px"> Information Officer Dipak Khanal of the National Tea and Coffee Development Board said that the export quantity had witnessed massive rise as the tea from the last year's stock was also exported simultaneously.</span></p> <p><span style="font-size:18px">Saying that quality of Nepali tea was not at par with international standard, India had banned the mixing of Nepali tea with tea from Darjeeling last year. </span></p> <p><span style="font-size:18px">Nepali tea entrepreneurs had failed to export tea due to the Indian ban last year. As a result, 3,000 metric tons of tea was in stock in Jhapa. </span></p> <p><span style="font-size:18px">Following the Nepal government's diplomatic efforts, India had lifted the ban. </span></p> <p><span style="font-size:18px">Despite the increased demand for Nepali tea this year from different countries, selling of the stock tea was the main reason behind the rise of tea export this fiscal year, Khanal said. </span></p> ', 'published' => true, 'created' => '2023-03-03', 'modified' => '2023-03-03', 'keywords' => '', 'description' => '', 'sortorder' => '16902', 'image' => '20230303065340_collage (11).jpg', 'article_date' => '2023-03-03 06:40:44', 'homepage' => false, 'breaking_news' => false, 'main_news' => true, 'in_scroller' => false, 'user_id' => '42' ) ), (int) 13 => array( 'Article' => array( 'id' => '17163', 'article_category_id' => '1', 'title' => 'CD Ratio of Commercial Banks Start to Drop', 'sub_title' => '', 'summary' => 'March 2: After the tight monetary policy adopted by Nepal Rastra Bank (NRB) reduced credit expansion, the credit-deposit ratio (CD ratio) of commercial banks finally started to decline.', 'content' => '<p><span style="font-size:12pt"><span style="font-family:"Times New Roman","serif"">March 2: After the tight monetary policy adopted by Nepal Rastra Bank (NRB) reduced credit expansion, the credit-deposit ratio (CD ratio) of commercial banks finally started to decline. After the ease in CD ratio of the banks, which have been facing liquidity problem since the last fiscal year, their additional credit expansion capacity has reached more than Rs 175 billion.</span></span></p> <p><span style="font-size:12pt"><span style="font-family:"Times New Roman","serif"">According to NRB, the total deposits of banks and financial institutes (BFIs) have reached Rs 5377 billion as of Monday.</span></span></p> <p><span style="font-size:12pt"><span style="font-family:"Times New Roman","serif"">Out of this amount, commercial banks have deposits of Rs 4740 billion. With the average CD ratio of only 86.22 percent, they have the ability to extend loans of more than Rs 175 billion. As instructed by NRB, banks should maintain CD ratio within 90 percent.</span></span></p> <p><span style="font-size:12pt"><span style="font-family:"Times New Roman","serif"">According to the data published up to the period of mid-January of the current FY by NRB, the CD ratio of most of the commercial banks looks good. Among the 22 commercial banks in operation during this period, only Kumari Bank's CD ratio is higher than the limit set by NRB. Similarly, the CD ratio of Global IME Bank and Nabil Bank is close to 90 percent.</span></span></p> <p><span style="font-size:12pt"><span style="font-family:"Times New Roman","serif"">Standard Chartered Bank has the lowest CD ratio at 78.73 percent. Apart from this, NRB informed that the CD ratio of Rastriya Banijya Bank, Nepal Bank, Sanima Bank and SBI Bank is less than 85 percent.</span></span></p> <p><span style="font-size:12pt"><span style="font-family:"Times New Roman","serif"">Sunil KC, president of Nepal Bankers Association and CEO of NMB Bank, the CD ratio of banks has eased because the banks have not disbursed loans despite to good deposits mainly because of remittance inflow. </span></span></p> <p><span style="font-size:12pt"><span style="font-family:"Times New Roman","serif""> “Currently the CD ratio has eased as there is no demand for new loans in banks. Only small investments are being made to the customers and deposit growth rate is good as well. In recent times, loans have become expensive along with the lack of liquidity, deterring industrialists from taking new loans from banks. The industrialists are in a wait-and-watch state as there is also a movement against the banks’ interest rates,” said KC, adding, “Similarly, due to the impact of Covid-19 and the Russia-Ukraine tension, inflation has risen and economic activity has decreased, so the demand for loans in the market is low. However, since the rate of inflation has been decreasing recently and the economic indicators are easing, the bankers expect credit to expand gradually.”</span></span></p> <p><span style="font-size:12pt"><span style="font-family:"Times New Roman","serif""> KC says that the interest rates on bank deposits have started to decrease and borrowers will get relief by the next quarter. He said that the interest rate will also decrease due to the concession given by NRB by reducing the spread rate and bank rate.</span></span></p> <p><span style="font-size:12pt"><span style="font-family:"Times New Roman","serif"">After much criticism over the high interest rates of banks, NRB announced to reduce the spread rate of the banks through the first quarter review of the monetary policy of the current fiscal year. It issued instructions mid-December and asked banks to reduce the spread rate in two stages. According to the instructions, commercial banks will have to reduce the spread rate to 4.2 percent from mid-March 2023 and development banks and finance companies will have to reduce it to 4.8 percent. From mid-June 2023, commercial banks have to apply 4 percent spread rate and development banks and finance companies have to apply 4.6 percent. By reducing the spread rate till mid-April, the interest rate on loan will decline from mid-April.</span></span></p> <p><span style="font-size:12pt"><span style="font-family:"Times New Roman","serif"">Likewise, NRB reduced the overnight repo interest rate by 1.5 percentage points to 7.5 percent from the half-yearly review of monetary policy. It is also expected that the cost of capital of banks will decrease and the interest rate will decrease to some extent.</span></span></p> <p><span style="font-size:12pt"><span style="font-family:"Times New Roman","serif"">Anil Sharma, CEO of Bankers' Association said, “Now there is no room for banks' interest rates to go up. The policy concession given by NRB will also reduce the interest rate, but they will have to wait until the next quarter.”</span></span></p> <p> </p> ', 'published' => true, 'created' => '2023-03-02', 'modified' => '2023-03-02', 'keywords' => '', 'description' => '', 'sortorder' => '16901', 'image' => '20230302061305_Banks.jpg', 'article_date' => '2023-03-02 18:12:24', 'homepage' => false, 'breaking_news' => false, 'main_news' => true, 'in_scroller' => null, 'user_id' => '34' ) ), (int) 14 => array( 'Article' => array( 'id' => '17162', 'article_category_id' => '1', 'title' => ' DPM Shrestha to Leave for Doha to Participate in LDCs Conference on Friday ', 'sub_title' => '', 'summary' => 'Deputy Prime Minister and Minister for Physical Infrastructure and Transport Narayan Kaji Shrestha will be leaving for Doha of Qatar to take part in the Conference of the Least Developed Countries (LDCs) on Friday. ', 'content' => '<p> </p> <p>March 3: Deputy Prime Minister and Minister for Physical Infrastructure and Transport Narayan Kaji Shrestha will be leaving for Doha of Qatar to take part in the Conference of the Least Developed Countries (LDCs) on Friday. </p> <p>According to the Ministry of Foreign Affairs, the Deputy Prime Minister will be leading the Nepali delegation to the Fifth United Nations Conference on the Least Developed Countries (LDCs) to be held in Doha, the State of Qatar, from 5 to 9 March, 2023. </p> <p>Prior to the event, the Deputy Prime Minister will address the Summit of the LDC Group to be held on the 4th of March, coordinated by Malawi, the current chair of the LDC group. </p> <p>Nepal is scheduled to take the chairmanship of the group of LDCs this year. In Doha, the Deputy Prime Minister Shrestha is scheduled to address the plenary session of the Conference and hold bilateral meetings with delegations from different countries and organizations. </p> <p>Minister Shrestha will also interact with the representatives of the organizations of Nepali diaspora. The Nepali delegation will include Dr. Min Bahadur Shrestha, Vice-chairman of National Planning Commission, lawmaker Jitendra Narayan Dev, government secretaries and the ambassador of Nepal to the State of Qatar and other senior officials. The Deputy Prime Minister will return from Doha on March 7. ---RSS <br /> </p> ', 'published' => true, 'created' => '2023-03-02', 'modified' => '2023-03-02', 'keywords' => '', 'description' => '', 'sortorder' => '16900', 'image' => '20230302055454_collage - 2023-03-02T174415.054.jpg', 'article_date' => '2023-03-02 17:52:35', 'homepage' => false, 'breaking_news' => false, 'main_news' => true, 'in_scroller' => null, '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
