April 24: Tourism activities have increased in Mustang. Tourism activities which had slowed down due to Covid-19, is picking up pace…
April 24: Tourism activities have increased in Mustang. Tourism activities which had slowed down due to Covid-19, is picking up pace…
April 24: Finance Minister Janardan Sharma has said that the agriculture sector needs encouragement, not grants in the budget of the upcoming fiscal year.…
April 24: President Bidya Devi Bhandari has stated that more investment is necessary to make the country self-reliant in medicines.…
April 24: The residents of Kathmandu Valley finally have access to drinking water from Melamchi almost a year after the supply has halted due to natural…
April 24: With the onset of spring season and the decline in number of Covid-19 cases, the number of domestic and foreign tourists visiting Langtang National Park in Rasuwa has increased…
April 24: Jazeera Airlines will be the first airlines company to make the debut international flight to the newly opened Gautam Buddha International Airport in…
April 22: Maggie Shah of Jawalakhel Group of Industries (JGI) has been honored with the Lifetime Achievement Award during the NewBiz Business Women Summit and Awards 2022 in recognition of her contribution to the Nepali business sector for over four…
Judy Hsu, CEO, Standard Chartered—Consumer, Private and Business Banking (CPBB), has said that women have a central role to play in driving commerce and prosperity in…
April 22: Business leaders have urged the government to provide support to women entrepreneurs affected by…
April 22: The Standard Chartered NewBiz Business Women Summit and Awards 2022 kicked off amid a special function in the capital on…
April 22: Sundar Auto Engineering Pvt Ltd, a sister company of Sundar Transport Pvt Ltd, has started production of electric vehicles in…
April 22: Experts have accused the government of undermining the agriculture sector of the country.…
April 22: Industries of Bara-Parsa corridor are facing an acute shortage of energy at the moment.…
April 21: The final countdown of the Standard Chartered NewBiz Business Women Summit and Awards 2022 will begin at 3 pm today afternoon amid a special function in the capital.…
April 21: Chinese Ambassador to Nepal, Hou Yanqi, has assured of helping Nepal to export its products to…
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Tourism activities which had slowed down due to Covid-19, is picking up pace again.', 'content' => '<p><span style="font-size:11pt"><span style="font-family:Calibri,"sans-serif""><span style="font-size:12.0pt"><span style="font-family:"Arial","sans-serif"">April 24: Tourism activities have increased in Mustang. Tourism activities which had slowed down due to Covid-19, is picking up pace again. For the past few days, the number of tourists going to and from Mustang via Myagdi has increased along the Beni-Jomsom road.</span></span></span></span></p> <p><span style="font-size:11pt"><span style="font-family:Calibri,"sans-serif""><span style="font-size:12.0pt"><span style="font-family:"Arial","sans-serif"">Rishi Baral, head of the Annapurna Conservation Area Project (ACAP) at Jomsom, said that the arrival of domestic tourists has increased while foreign tourists have also started visiting Mustang. </span></span></span></span></p> <p><span style="font-size:11pt"><span style="font-family:Calibri,"sans-serif""><span style="font-size:12.0pt"><span style="font-family:"Arial","sans-serif"">"The number of foreign tourists visiting Mustang by road and air has increased," he said.</span></span></span></span></p> <p><span style="font-size:11pt"><span style="font-family:Calibri,"sans-serif""><span style="font-size:12.0pt"><span style="font-family:"Arial","sans-serif"">According to the District Traffic Police Office, 50 buses, 150 jeeps and 200 tourist vehicles enter Mustang daily through Myagdi.</span></span></span></span></p> <p><span style="font-size:11pt"><span style="font-family:Calibri,"sans-serif""><span style="font-size:12.0pt"><span style="font-family:"Arial","sans-serif"">Police Chief Indra Bahadur Nepali said that the Border Police Post at Kalipul Post and Bhurung Tatopani in Beni keep records of vehicles entering and leaving Mustang.</span></span></span></span></p> <p><span style="font-size:11pt"><span style="font-family:Calibri,"sans-serif""><span style="font-size:12.0pt"><span style="font-family:"Arial","sans-serif"">Access to vaccines against Covid-19 has led to a decline in infection rate, while the lifting of restrictions on tourist sites and favorable weather have led to increase in number of tourists.</span></span></span></span></p> <p><span style="font-size:11pt"><span style="font-family:Calibri,"sans-serif""><span style="font-size:12.0pt"><span style="font-family:"Arial","sans-serif"">Tourists are flocking to Muktinath Temple, Kagbeni, Korala, Lo-Manthang, Jomsom, Dhumwa Lake and Lete. </span></span></span></span></p> <p><span style="font-size:11pt"><span style="font-family:Calibri,"sans-serif""><span style="font-size:12.0pt"><span style="font-family:"Arial","sans-serif"">Samjhana Thakali, a resident of Jomsom, said that those visiting the area include mothers’ group, forest users’ group, club members, cooperatives and students for educational purpose.</span></span></span></span></p> <p><span style="font-size:11pt"><span style="font-family:Calibri,"sans-serif""><span style="font-size:12.0pt"><span style="font-family:"Arial","sans-serif"">The road in Mustang has reached up to Korala pass on the Chinese border. The easy access to transportation has made travel costs cheaper and time shorter.</span></span></span></span></p> <p><span style="font-size:11pt"><span style="font-family:Calibri,"sans-serif""><span style="font-size:12.0pt"><span style="font-family:"Arial","sans-serif"">Tourism activities in Mustang has been stagnant for the last two years since the outbreak of the Covid-19 in April 2020. Hotels and restaurants opened with millions of investment were slowed down due to lack of tourists. Entrepreneurs hope that the hotel business will return to its old rhythm with the increase in tourism activities.</span></span></span></span></p> <p><span style="font-size:11pt"><span style="font-family:Calibri,"sans-serif""><span style="font-size:12.0pt"><span style="font-family:"Arial","sans-serif"">Baburam Acharya, district president of the Hotel and Restaurant Entrepreneurs' Association, said that the businessmen of Myagdi were also relieved by the increasing movement of tourists going to and from Mustang.</span></span></span></span></p> <p> </p> ', 'published' => true, 'created' => '2022-04-24', 'modified' => '2022-04-24', 'keywords' => '', 'description' => '', 'sortorder' => '14900', 'image' => '20220424035529_istockphoto-534638391-612x612.jpg', 'article_date' => '2022-04-24 15:49:34', 'homepage' => false, 'breaking_news' => false, 'main_news' => true, 'in_scroller' => false, 'user_id' => '34' ) ), (int) 1 => array( 'Article' => array( 'id' => '15157', 'article_category_id' => '277', 'title' => 'Agriculture Sector needs Encouragement not Donation: Finance Minister ', 'sub_title' => '', 'summary' => 'April 24: Finance Minister Janardan Sharma has said that the agriculture sector needs encouragement, not grants in the budget of the upcoming fiscal year. ', 'content' => '<p><span style="font-size:12pt"><span style="font-family:"Times New Roman","serif"">April 24: Finance Minister Janardan Sharma has said that the agriculture sector needs encouragement, not grants in the budget of the upcoming fiscal year. During an interaction with the Ministry of Agriculture and Livestock Development on Friday to discuss the upcoming budget as well as policies and programmes of the government, Finance Minister Sharma suggested not to use the word grant as the agriculture sector needs encouragement. </span></span></p> <p><span style="font-size:12pt"><span style="font-family:"Times New Roman","serif"">"When making the budget for the upcoming year, don't use the word subsidy in agriculture, remove it," he said. He said that it was important to reward the farmers on the basis of productivity.</span></span></p> <p><span style="font-size:12pt"><span style="font-family:"Times New Roman","serif"">Minister Sharma gave such instructions after Prakash Sanjel, Joint Secretary and Spokesperson of the Ministry of Agriculture, raised the issue of agricultural subsidy in the proposed program for the coming years. </span></span></p> <p><span style="font-size:12pt"><span style="font-family:"Times New Roman","serif"">The National Planning Commission has proposed a budget ceiling of Rs 42.73 billion for the Ministry of Agriculture for the upcoming fiscal year. The ministry has said that it will propose programmes within the budget limit. In the current fiscal year, only 2.5 percent of the total budget has been allocated for the agriculture sector and the average growth rate of agriculture and livestock has been 3 percent in the last ten years, according to the Ministry of Agriculture. </span></span></p> <p><span style="font-size:12pt"><span style="font-family:"Times New Roman","serif"">During the interaction, Finance Minister Sharma complained that there was a delay in setting up quarantine at the border despite repeated instructions. </span></span></p> <p><span style="font-size:12pt"><span style="font-family:"Times New Roman","serif"">He instructed to carry out examination of imported agricultural produce and food items and also to ensure quantity of pesticides and the condition of labeling etc. He directed to increase the production by distributing improved varieties of seeds to the farmers who are preparing to plant paddy in June-July. "Distribute seeds of high quality of paddy to the farmers immediately. We will provide some budget if needed for this," he said. “Imports should be reduced by increasing paddy production as soon as possible." </span></span></p> <p> </p> ', 'published' => true, 'created' => '2022-04-24', 'modified' => '2022-04-24', 'keywords' => '', 'description' => '', 'sortorder' => '14899', 'image' => '20220424034134_agri maize.jpg', 'article_date' => '2022-04-24 15:40:56', 'homepage' => false, 'breaking_news' => false, 'main_news' => true, 'in_scroller' => null, 'user_id' => '34' ) ), (int) 2 => array( 'Article' => array( 'id' => '15156', 'article_category_id' => '1', 'title' => 'More Investment needed to make Nepal Self-reliant in Medicines', 'sub_title' => '', 'summary' => 'April 24: President Bidya Devi Bhandari has stated that more investment is necessary to make the country self-reliant in medicines. ', 'content' => '<p><span style="font-size:12pt"><span style="font-family:"Times New Roman","serif"">April 24: President Bidya Devi Bhandari has stated that more investment is necessary to make the country self-reliant in medicines. Inaugurating the 'Nepal Pharma Expo 2022' at the Chitwan Expo Center in Bharatpur on Friday, she emphasized on the need to produce the medicines needed in the country within the country itself. She also highlighted the need to promote commercial farming of medicinal herbs in the country to attain the target.</span></span></p> <p><span style="font-size:12pt"><span style="font-family:"Times New Roman","serif"">President Bhandari said, “During the Covid-19 pandemic, we faced the challenge of drug shortage. Which is why, it is necessary to increase investment in drug production and manage the supply chain. To obtain this, emphasis should be given to domestic production of medicinal herbs.” The president stressed that the state should coordinate with the private sector to make the country self-reliant in medicine.</span></span></p> <p><span style="font-size:12pt"><span style="font-family:"Times New Roman","serif"">Speaking on the occasion, Shekhar Golchha, president of the Federation of Nepalese Chambers of Commerce and Industry (FNCCI), stated that there are problems in the country in the sectors like import and export, interest of banks and others. He said that the government should bring industry-friendly policy to get rid of the existing problems. Stating that Covid-19 taught a lot to Nepali people, he pointed out the need to make the country self-reliant in medicine as well.</span></span></p> <p><span style="font-size:12pt"><span style="font-family:"Times New Roman","serif"">President of Nepal Medical Association Dr. Lochan Karki said that the role of medicine is critical to keep Nepali citizens healthy.</span></span></p> <p><span style="font-size:12pt"><span style="font-family:"Times New Roman","serif"">Meanwhile, the Deputy Chairman of the National Planning Commission Dr. Biswo Nath Poudel said that the government is ready to help the pharmaceutical industry. He made such remarks at an interaction program on 'Possibilities and Challenges of Pharmaceutical Production in Nepal' held during the second day of the expo on Saturday.</span></span></p> <p><span style="font-size:12pt"><span style="font-family:"Times New Roman","serif""> “Increase in drug production helps reduce imports. We are ready to help,” he said adding that it is time to increase the production of export-oriented goods, pointing at the declining foreign exchange reserves of Nepal.</span></span></p> <p><span style="font-size:12pt"><span style="font-family:"Times New Roman","serif"">Spokesperson of the Department of Drug Management Santosh KC remarked that foreign investment is also needed to make the country self-reliant in medicine by increasing the production of drugs. He also emphasized on the need to increase the production of essential medicines in Nepal. Speaking on the occasion, former president of the association, Deepak Prasad Dahal said that Nepal is capable of producing quality and essential medicines, and pointed out that the Drugs Act of 2035 BS should be amended.</span></span></p> <p> </p> ', 'published' => true, 'created' => '2022-04-24', 'modified' => '2022-04-24', 'keywords' => '', 'description' => '', 'sortorder' => '14898', 'image' => '20220424030239_18016929_101.jpg', 'article_date' => '2022-04-24 15:02:03', 'homepage' => false, 'breaking_news' => false, 'main_news' => true, 'in_scroller' => false, 'user_id' => '34' ) ), (int) 3 => array( 'Article' => array( 'id' => '15155', 'article_category_id' => '1', 'title' => 'Water Supply from Melamchi Resumes from Today ', 'sub_title' => '', 'summary' => 'April 24: The residents of Kathmandu Valley finally have access to drinking water from Melamchi almost a year after the supply has halted due to natural disasters.', 'content' => '<p><span style="font-size:12pt"><span style="font-family:"Times New Roman","serif"">April 24: The residents of Kathmandu Valley finally have access to drinking water from Melamchi almost a year after the supply has halted due to natural disasters as well as other technical reasons.</span></span></p> <p><span style="font-size:12pt"><span style="font-family:"Times New Roman","serif"">The distribution of drinking water started today (April 24) after the structures damaged by flood last year’s floods were repaired. The supply of water resumed after Minister for Drinking Water Umakanta Chaudhary inaugurated the water tank at Min Bhawan in Kathmandu on Sunday morning.</span></span></p> <p><span style="font-size:12pt"><span style="font-family:"Times New Roman","serif"">Water supply from Melamchi was halted last May. After the repairs and reconstruction of the damaged structure, Kathmandu Upatyaka Khanepani Limited (KUKL) started distributing the drinking water to the taps from Sunday.</span></span></p> <p><span style="font-size:12pt"><span style="font-family:"Times New Roman","serif"">The Ministry of Water Supply initiated the repair of the diversion of the pathway for water supply to Kathmandu from April after completing the maintenance and cleaning work of the project. Water from Melamchi is distributed in the Kathmandu valley via new as well as old taps as well.</span></span></p> <p><span style="font-size:12pt"><span style="font-family:"Times New Roman","serif"">Water will soon be distributed in areas including Min Bhawan, Baneshwor, Thapathali, Mahankal (Chabahil), Anamnagar and other places. Meanwhile, water distribution has already started in Kirtipur, Khumaltar, Bode of Bhaktapur, Swayambhu, Balaju, Naya Bazaar, Kalimati, Maharajgunj and other areas starting today.</span></span></p> <p><span style="font-size:12pt"><span style="font-family:"Times New Roman","serif"">The government had announced to distribute drinking water from Melamchi to the people of the valley by mid-April. KUKL is distributing water after 10 days of announcement. After decades of construction, KUKL had started distributing water from Melamchi in the Kathmandu Valley on March 28, 2021. But at that time, distribution of drinking water had started as a test. </span></span></p> <p><span style="font-size:12pt"><span style="font-family:"Times New Roman","serif"">Spokesperson of the Melamchi Water Supply Development Committee Rajendra Prasad Pant informed that water was already been brought to Sundarijal of Kathmandu from the temporary structure and water distribution was possible since Sunday as the 27 km long tunnel was filled on Friday itself.</span></span></p> <p><span style="font-size:12pt"><span style="font-family:"Times New Roman","serif"">Altogether 170 million liters of water will be distributed daily in Kathmandu Valley. The project has been built with an investment of Rs 30 billion. In addition, floods and landslides from mid-June to mid-August caused a loss of Rs. 360 million.</span></span></p> <p> </p> ', 'published' => true, 'created' => '2022-04-24', 'modified' => '2022-04-24', 'keywords' => '', 'description' => '', 'sortorder' => '14897', 'image' => '20220424011204_Melamchi.jpg', 'article_date' => '2022-04-24 13:11:09', 'homepage' => false, 'breaking_news' => false, 'main_news' => true, 'in_scroller' => false, 'user_id' => '34' ) ), (int) 4 => array( 'Article' => array( 'id' => '15154', 'article_category_id' => '239', 'title' => 'Tourist Arrival on the rise in Langtang National Park', 'sub_title' => '', 'summary' => 'April 24: With the onset of spring season and the decline in number of Covid-19 cases, the number of domestic and foreign tourists visiting Langtang National Park in Rasuwa has increased significantly. ', 'content' => '<p><span style="font-size:11pt"><span style="font-family:Calibri,"sans-serif""><span style="font-family:"Arial Unicode MS","sans-serif"">April 24: With the onset of spring season and the decline in number of Covid-19 cases, the number of domestic and foreign tourists visiting Langtang National Park in Rasuwa has increased significantly. </span><br /> <span style="font-family:"Arial Unicode MS","sans-serif"">According to the Chief Conservation Officer of Langtang National Park, Pramod Bhattarai, around 100 domestic and more than 20 foreign tourists have been arriving on a daily basis in Langtang and the Gosainkunda lake located in the upper region of Rasuwa. </span><br /> <span style="font-family:"Arial Unicode MS","sans-serif"">Majority of the domestic tourists opt to visit the holy shrine of Gosainkunda while foreign tourists have been visiting the Langtang valley for trekking in the surrounding mountains, the state-owned national news agency RSS quoted Bhattarai as saying. </span><br /> <span style="font-family:"Arial Unicode MS","sans-serif"">According to RSS, hotelier Pasang Ghurmi Tamang of Chandanbari shared that the Gosaikunda pilgrimage route has become more vibrant after the tourists started flocking to the otherwise deserted area. Hoteliers say that there is hope for economic recovery as the number of visitors continues to increase. </span><br /> <span style="font-family:"Arial Unicode MS","sans-serif"">Apart from travelling by land, the attraction of devotees visiting Gosainkund by air is also increasing. The helicopter facility has made it easier for the senior citizens, who are unable to walk on foot, to visit this holy shrine, said a local priest Tanka Prasad Dhakal. </span></span></span><br /> </p> ', 'published' => true, 'created' => '2022-04-24', 'modified' => '2022-04-24', 'keywords' => '', 'description' => '', 'sortorder' => '14896', 'image' => '20220424110255_Tourist Arrival (1).jpeg', 'article_date' => '2022-04-24 11:02:17', 'homepage' => false, 'breaking_news' => false, 'main_news' => true, 'in_scroller' => false, 'user_id' => '34' ) ), (int) 5 => array( 'Article' => array( 'id' => '15153', 'article_category_id' => '228', 'title' => 'Jazeera Airlines to Make First International Flight to GBIA on May 16 ', 'sub_title' => '', 'summary' => 'April 24: Jazeera Airlines will be the first airlines company to make the debut international flight to the newly opened Gautam Buddha International Airport in Bhairahawa. ', 'content' => '<p><span style="font-size:11pt"><span style="font-family:Calibri,"sans-serif""><span style="font-family:"Arial Unicode MS","sans-serif"">April 24: Jazeera Airlines will be the first airlines company to make the debut international flight to the newly opened Gautam Buddha International Airport in Bhairahawa. </span><br /> <span style="font-family:"Arial Unicode MS","sans-serif"">The airport came into operation on Thursday. Jazeera Air will fly a narrow-body aircraft with a capacity of 278 passengers from Kuwait to Bhairahawa on the day of Buddha Jayanti on May 16, according to Civil Aviation Authority of Nepal. </span><br /> <span style="font-family:"Arial Unicode MS","sans-serif"">It will return the next day with passengers from Nepal to Kuwait. The airlines will then fly regularly to Bhairahawa three days a week on Monday, Wednesday and Friday. </span><br /> <span style="font-family:"Arial Unicode MS","sans-serif"">General Manager of the international airport, Govinda Dahal, said for now the international flights are scheduled for the night to manage the air traffic congestion caused due to a single runway. </span><br /> <span style="font-family:"Arial Unicode MS","sans-serif"">Director General of CAAN Pradip Adhikari said that the landing at Gautam Buddha International Airport in Bhairahawa is expected to be smooth as there is a 3,500-meter long runway that can accommodate five international flights at a time. </span><br /> <span style="font-family:"Arial Unicode MS","sans-serif"">Air traffic at the Tribhuvan International Airport in Kathmandu is expected to decrease with the operation of the new international airport in Bhairahawa. -- RSS </span></span></span></p> ', 'published' => true, 'created' => '2022-04-24', 'modified' => '2022-04-24', 'keywords' => '', 'description' => '', 'sortorder' => '14895', 'image' => '20220424105929_Jazeera Airways A320neo 2.jpg', 'article_date' => '2022-04-24 10:58:37', 'homepage' => false, 'breaking_news' => false, 'main_news' => true, 'in_scroller' => false, 'user_id' => '34' ) ), (int) 6 => array( 'Article' => array( 'id' => '15152', 'article_category_id' => '273', 'title' => 'Jawalakhel Group’s Maggie Shah Honored with Lifetime Achievement Award', 'sub_title' => '14 Women Entrepreneurs felicitated in NewBiz Business Women Summit and Awards 2022', 'summary' => 'April 22: Maggie Shah of Jawalakhel Group of Industries (JGI) has been honored with the Lifetime Achievement Award during the NewBiz Business Women Summit and Awards 2022 in recognition of her contribution to the Nepali business sector for over four decades.', 'content' => '<p><span style="font-size:11pt"><span style="font-family:Calibri,"sans-serif""><span style="font-size:12.0pt"><span style="font-family:"Times New Roman","serif"">April 22: Maggie Shah of Jawalakhel Group of Industries (JGI) has been honored with the Lifetime Achievement Award during the NewBiz Business Women Summit and Awards 2022 in recognition of her contribution to the Nepali business sector for over </span></span><span style="font-size:12.0pt"><span style="font-family:"Times New Roman","serif"">four decades.</span></span></span></span></p> <p><span style="font-size:11pt"><span style="font-family:Calibri,"sans-serif""><span style="font-size:12.0pt"><span style="font-family:"Times New Roman","serif"">Shah was felicitated with the lifetime achievement award during the event organized by </span></span><span style="font-size:12.0pt"><span style="font-family:"Times New Roman","serif"">New Business Age Pvt Ltd, the publishers of New Business Age monthly magazine and Aarthik Abhiyan National Daily. Standard Chartered Bank Nepal’s CEO Anirvan Ghosh Dastidar, National Planning Commission’s Vice Chairman Biswo Nath Poudel and New Business Age’s Chairman Madan Lamsal jointly handed over the award to Shah. </span></span></span></span></p> <p><img src="https://drive.google.com/uc?export=view&id=1HT_JlZkcmHxYWA5-zPPfWiV4aWnfCALy" /></p> <p><span style="font-size:11pt"><span style="font-family:Calibri,"sans-serif""><span style="font-size:12.0pt"><span style="font-family:"Times New Roman","serif"">Shah, promoter of JGI, has played a major role in taking the company to greater heights. She is also working for women empowerment through organisations such as Tewa, Federation of Women Entrepreneurs Association of Nepal (FWEAN) and SAARC Women Entrepreneur’s Council Nepal, among others.</span></span></span></span></p> <p><span style="font-size:11pt"><span style="font-family:Calibri,"sans-serif""><span style="font-size:12.0pt"><span style="font-family:"Times New Roman","serif"">Similarly, 13</span></span><span style="font-size:12.0pt"><span style="font-family:"Times New Roman","serif""> women entrepreneurs from various categories were also honored at the special ceremony.</span></span></span></span></p> <p><span style="font-size:11pt"><span style="font-family:Calibri,"sans-serif""><span style="font-size:12.0pt"><span style="font-family:"Times New Roman","serif"">Usha Giri, Chairperson of Rikishi Compost Pvt, was felicitated with the ‘Women Entrepreneur of the Year 2022’ award.</span></span></span></span></p> <p><span style="font-size:11pt"><span style="font-family:Calibri,"sans-serif""><span style="font-size:12.0pt"><span style="font-family:"Times New Roman","serif"">Seven women entrepreneurs from each province were awarded during the ceremony.</span></span></span></span></p> <p><span style="font-size:11pt"><span style="font-family:Calibri,"sans-serif""><span style="font-size:12.0pt"><span style="font-family:"Times New Roman","serif"">An independent panel of jury made the final selection of entrepreneurs from more than 2,000 women entrepreneurs.</span></span></span></span></p> <p><span style="font-size:11pt"><span style="font-family:Calibri,"sans-serif""><span style="font-size:12.0pt"><span style="font-family:"Times New Roman","serif"">Jyoti Sherchan, the first female architect of Nepal, was honoured with the ‘Professional Women of the Year 2022’ award, while Indira Yakthumba, principal of Gyanodaya School, received the ‘Inspirational Woman Entrepreneur of the Year 2022’ award.</span></span></span></span></p> <p><span style="font-size:11pt"><span style="font-family:Calibri,"sans-serif""><span style="font-size:12.0pt"><span style="font-family:"Times New Roman","serif"">Likewise, Prakriti Mainali, founder of Shakti Milan Nepal was honoured with the ‘Social Woman Entrepreneur of the Year’ award. Sunaina Thakur, founder of Sunaina Mithila Art was felicitated with the ‘Indigenous Woman Entrepreneur of the Year’ award.</span></span></span></span></p> <p><span style="font-size:11pt"><span style="font-family:Calibri,"sans-serif""><span style="font-size:12.0pt"><span style="font-family:"Times New Roman","serif"">Similarly, Dr Prativa Pandey, founder of Herveda Botanicals was felicitated with the ‘Emerging Woman Entrepreneur of the Year’ award.</span></span></span></span></p> <p><span style="font-size:11pt"><span style="font-family:Calibri,"sans-serif""><span style="font-size:12.0pt"><span style="font-family:"Times New Roman","serif"">The women entrepreneurs were awarded with cash prize, trophy and certificates.</span></span></span></span></p> <p><img src="https://drive.google.com/uc?export=view&id=15YuzQMZTJgVm9DJ5AltqvdFDKz5kbc5J" /></p> <p><span style="font-size:11pt"><span style="font-family:Calibri,"sans-serif""><span style="font-size:12.0pt"><span style="font-family:"Times New Roman","serif"">Likewise, seven enterprising women entrepreneurs from each province were honored with Rs 50,000 each and certificates.</span></span></span></span></p> <p><span style="font-size:11pt"><span style="font-family:Calibri,"sans-serif""><span style="font-size:12.0pt"><span style="font-family:"Times New Roman","serif"">Sita Rai, owner of Luma Gharelu Allo Udhyog and Training Center, Biratchowk (Province 1); Yashodha Gajurel, proprietor of Yashoda Bag and Readymade Udhyog, Birgunj (Madhesh Province); Basu Maya Tamang, proprietor of Nepali Mann Udhyog, Kathmandu (Bagmati Province); and Samikshya Sharma, proprietor of Parbat Krishi Uddham Kendra, Kusma, Parbat (Gandaki Province) bagged the ‘Enterprising Woman of the Year 2022’ awards.</span></span></span></span></p> <p><span style="font-size:11pt"><span style="font-family:Calibri,"sans-serif""><span style="font-size:12.0pt"><span style="font-family:"Times New Roman","serif"">Other entrepreneurs honoured with the ‘Enterprising Woman of the Year 2022’ awards were Neeru Chaudhary, owner of Panchashil Hastakala Kendra, Banke (Lumbini Province); Krishna Kumari Banshi, member of Laganshil Kosheli Textile Udhyog, Birendranagar, Surkhet (Karnali Province); and Dhana Devi Chokhal, owner of Keshav Madhav Krishi Farm Private Limited, Kailali (Sudurpaschim Province). </span></span></span></span></p> <p><span style="font-size:11pt"><span style="font-family:Calibri,"sans-serif""><span style="font-size:12.0pt"><span style="font-family:"Times New Roman","serif"">FWEAN President Neeru Rayamajhi Khatri was the chair of the jury committee. Barsha Shrestha, Anju Sharma, Kishore Maharjan and Sahara Joshi were the members of the jury.</span></span></span></span></p> <p><span style="font-size:11pt"><span style="font-family:Calibri,"sans-serif""><span style="font-size:12.0pt"><span style="font-family:"Times New Roman","serif"">According to the organizers, the jury committee had selected the award winners based on criteria like compliance with regulations, quality of organizational management, quality of business operations, financial indicators, social impact, innovation or novelty in business or product, employment generation, contribution to export or import substitution, calibre and struggle, number of enterprise the entrepreneur is operating, and jury judgment.</span></span></span></span></p> <p><span style="font-size:11pt"><span style="font-family:Calibri,"sans-serif""><span style="font-size:12.0pt"><span style="font-family:"Times New Roman","serif"">Addressing the ceremony, National Planning Commission Vice Chairman Biswo Nath Poudel, who was also the chief guest of the ceremony, said that families in Nepal opt to buy motorcycles instead of washing machines.</span></span></span></span></p> <p><span style="font-size:11pt"><span style="font-family:Calibri,"sans-serif""><span style="font-size:12.0pt"><span style="font-family:"Times New Roman","serif"">“Washing machines and dish-washers are helpful for household chores for women but that does not fall on priority,” said Poudel, adding, “The challenge is to become inclusive. For example, our target is to provide electricity to every household. There are still 300,000 households who are deprived of electricity and those are mostly marginalized community. Supplying electricity to them is inclusion in true sense.”</span></span></span></span></p> <p><span style="font-size:11pt"><span style="font-family:Calibri,"sans-serif""><span style="font-size:12.0pt"><span style="font-family:"Times New Roman","serif"">Also speaking at the ceremony, FNCCI President Shekhar Golchha said thanked New Business Age for inviting him to the event and praised the constitution of Nepal for its inclusiveness. </span></span></span></span></p> <p><span style="font-size:11pt"><span style="font-family:Calibri,"sans-serif""><span style="font-size:12.0pt"><span style="font-family:"Times New Roman","serif""> An in-depth group discussion on ‘Post-pandemic Opportunities for Women Entrepreneurs’ was also held during the event where the panelists highlighted how women entrepreneurs overcame the challenges posed by Covid-19.</span></span></span></span></p> <p><span style="font-size:11pt"><span style="font-family:Calibri,"sans-serif""><span style="font-size:12.0pt"><span style="font-family:"Times New Roman","serif"">According to the organisers, three special interactive training programs in hybrid methods on financial literacy, entrepreneurship, time management and capacity development were held in Pokhara, Birgunj and Biratnagar in the lead-up to the summit and award ceremony.</span></span></span></span></p> <p><span style="font-size:11pt"><span style="font-family:Calibri,"sans-serif""><span style="font-size:12.0pt"><span style="font-family:"Times New Roman","serif"">This is the second edition of ‘Standard Chartered NewBiz Business Women Summit and Award 2022’.</span></span></span></span></p> <p><span style="font-size:11pt"><span style="font-family:Calibri,"sans-serif""><span style="font-size:12.0pt"><span style="font-family:"Times New Roman","serif"">Standard Chartered Bank is the title sponsor of the awards ceremony and Muktinath Bikas Bank is the co-sponsor. Star Hospital is the medical partner for the event. Center for Leadership and Entrepreneurship is the knowledge partner, Turkish Airlines is the airlines partner, Daraz is the ecommerce partner, NECO Insurance Limited is the insurance partner and Fiber Net is the internet partner. </span></span></span></span></p> <p><span style="font-size:11pt"><span style="font-family:Calibri,"sans-serif""><span style="font-size:12.0pt"><span style="font-family:"Times New Roman","serif"">Similarly, the event is also supported by Agriculture Development Bank, Sipradi Trading, Storm, Reliable Life Insurance, Progressive Finance Limited, National Life Insurance, Federation of Women Entrepreneurs Association of Nepal (FWEAN), Federation of Nepalese Chambers of Commerce and Industry (FNCCI) and Nepal Rastra Bank. </span></span></span></span></p> ', 'published' => true, 'created' => '2022-04-22', 'modified' => '2022-04-23', 'keywords' => '', 'description' => '', 'sortorder' => '14894', 'image' => '20220423065345_IMG-20220423-WA0000.jpg', 'article_date' => '2022-04-22 19:35:51', 'homepage' => false, 'breaking_news' => false, 'main_news' => true, 'in_scroller' => false, 'user_id' => '34' ) ), (int) 7 => array( 'Article' => array( 'id' => '15151', 'article_category_id' => '273', 'title' => 'Standard Chartered’s Hsu highlights women’s role in driving commerce and prosperity in Nepal', 'sub_title' => '', 'summary' => 'Judy Hsu, CEO, Standard Chartered—Consumer, Private and Business Banking (CPBB), has said that women have a central role to play in driving commerce and prosperity in Nepal. ', 'content' => '<p>April 22: Judy Hsu, CEO, Standard Chartered—Consumer, Private and Business Banking (CPBB), has said that women have a central role to play in driving commerce and prosperity in Nepal. </p> <p>In a video address to the NewBiz Business Women Summit and Awards 2022 organized by New Business Age Pvt Ltd, the publishers of New Business Age monthly magazine and Aarthik Abhiyan National Daily, she shared initiatives of Standard Chartered in Nepal to support women entrepreneurship as part of its efforts to make a positive and lasting impact in the markets where it operate. </p> <p><img src="https://drive.google.com/uc?export=view&id=1HT_JlZkcmHxYWA5-zPPfWiV4aWnfCALy" /></p> <p>According to Hsu, Standard Chartered Bank Nepal Ltd is offering subsidized women entrepreneurship loans, which have seen a robust growth in the number of accounts opened over the last two years. She said that to promote employability for young women, Standard Chartered is embarking on a project with Plan International to equip young women with necessary skills and knowledge to be employed or self-employed. </p> <p>“To equip young girls with confidence and skills to be economic leaders in their families and communities, we have been running our flagship ‘Sports to Development’ programme in Nepal since 2020. We aim to engage 1,000 young girls in financial education and life-skill training,” she said. She said that Standard Chartered is also committed to promote gender equality at work and support women to take senior roles. “In fact, 40 percent of the board of directors of Standard Chartered Bank Nepal Ltd are female and the board is chaired by Zarin Daruwala, who is our cluster CEO of Standard Chartered’s India and South Asia markets,” she said.</p> ', 'published' => true, 'created' => '2022-04-22', 'modified' => '2022-04-24', 'keywords' => '', 'description' => '', 'sortorder' => '14893', 'image' => '20220422064332_Standard Chartered_.jpg', 'article_date' => '2022-04-22 18:00:11', 'homepage' => true, 'breaking_news' => false, 'main_news' => true, 'in_scroller' => false, 'user_id' => '35' ) ), (int) 8 => array( 'Article' => array( 'id' => '15150', 'article_category_id' => '273', 'title' => 'Panelists Call for Support to Women Entrepreneurs Hit by Covid-19', 'sub_title' => '', 'summary' => 'April 22: Business leaders have urged the government to provide support to women entrepreneurs affected by Covid-19.', 'content' => '<p><span style="font-size:16px"><span style="font-family:Calibri,"sans-serif""><span style="font-family:"Arial","sans-serif"">April 22: Business leaders have urged the government to provide support to women entrepreneurs affected by Covid-19. In a panel discussion organized as part of the NewBiz Business Women Summit and Awards 2022 by New Business Age Pvt Ltd, the publishers of New Business Age monthly magazine and Aarthik Abhiyan National Daily, panelists also highlighted the post-pandemic opportunities available for women entrepreneurs. Excerpts:</span></span></span></p> <p> </p> <p><span style="font-size:16px"><span style="font-family:Calibri,"sans-serif""><strong><span style="font-family:"Arial","sans-serif"">Mahalaxmi Shrestha, </span></strong><span style="font-family:"Arial","sans-serif"">General Secretary, FWEAN</span></span></span></p> <p><span style="font-size:16px"><span style="font-family:Calibri,"sans-serif""><span style="font-family:"Arial","sans-serif"">The pandemic was a major setback to most of the businesses. Many businesses were on the verge of closure. However, some entrepreneurs took this challenge as an opportunity. Digitalization played a vital role in it. Digital platform was the medium through which goods produced were sold in the market. Digital marketing flourished during the period.</span></span></span></p> <p><span style="font-size:16px"><span style="font-family:Calibri,"sans-serif""><span style="font-family:"Arial","sans-serif"">Digital marketing requires good photos of the product and the product’s packaging must also look good.</span></span></span></p> <p><span style="font-size:16px"><span style="font-family:Calibri,"sans-serif""><span style="font-family:"Arial","sans-serif"">The government had announced concessional loan amid the pandemic. However, there was information gap as many women were unaware of such concessional loan. There women were unaware how to access those concessional package.</span></span></span></p> <p><span style="font-size:16px"><span style="font-family:Calibri,"sans-serif""><span style="font-family:"Arial","sans-serif"">Another issue is the collateral free credit for women entrepreneurs. Many women affiliated to our association complain that banks seek collateral with them against the government policy. Therefore, this programme needs to be re-evaluated.</span></span></span></p> <p><span style="font-size:16px"><span style="font-family:Calibri,"sans-serif""> </span></span> <img src="https://drive.google.com/uc?export=view&id=1HT_JlZkcmHxYWA5-zPPfWiV4aWnfCALy" /></p> <p><span style="font-size:16px"><span style="font-family:Calibri,"sans-serif""><strong><span style="font-family:"Arial","sans-serif"">Pradhyuman Pokharel, </span></strong><span style="font-family:"Arial","sans-serif"">CEO, Muktinath Bikas Bank</span></span></span></p> <p><span style="font-size:16px"><span style="font-family:Calibri,"sans-serif""><span style="font-family:"Arial","sans-serif"">When we talk about women entrepreneurship, we need to consider three things, access to finance, access to knowledge and access to the market. It is not enough to just give loans and invest. It is necessary to give knowledge to women on how to do business, problems associated with their field of engagement, source to get raw materials, dangers surrounding the manufacture of products, how to sell the finished products, and if the business can be done with cash or credit as well. </span></span></span></p> <p><span style="font-size:16px"><span style="font-family:Calibri,"sans-serif""><span style="font-family:"Arial","sans-serif"">After all this, it is also mandatory to educate them about marketing of the products. Although the Covid-19 pandemic reduced the growth of credit extension this year, digitization came forth as its positive impact. In addition the creativity got sparked during the lockdown period and now people are able to think in a wide domain. As a result, we witnessed the widespread food delivery business with women's involvement.</span></span></span></p> <p><span style="font-size:16px"><span style="font-family:Calibri,"sans-serif""><span style="font-family:"Arial","sans-serif"">Digitization is difficult in the rural areas of Nepal as women in rural areas are not well aware of technical issues. Women in rural areas are not as aware as the women in urban areas. In addition, awareness is extremely crucial because women are unable to speak independently. With the facilitation of policies, and proper awareness, the ecosystem will be more favorable for women entrepreneurship.</span></span></span></p> <p> </p> <p><span style="font-size:16px"><span style="font-family:Calibri,"sans-serif""><strong><span style="font-family:"Arial","sans-serif"">Narayan Prasad Regmi, </span></strong><span style="font-family:"Arial","sans-serif"">Joint Secretary, Ministry of Industry, Commerce and Supplies </span></span></span></p> <p><span style="font-size:16px"><span style="font-family:Calibri,"sans-serif""><span style="font-family:"Arial","sans-serif"">Since women entrepreneurs were at the forefront of bearing the brunt of Covid-19, the government took three initiatives at the policy level. First, we brought refinancing and subsidized loan facilities for women entrepreneurs hit by the pandemic. We also introduced targeted programmes for women entrepreneurs to help them in finding and accessing markets and export their products by helping them register trademarks and patents. </span></span></span></p> <p><span style="font-size:16px"><span style="font-family:Calibri,"sans-serif""><span style="font-family:"Arial","sans-serif"">We also designed growth modality programmes for women enterprises. We took the Micro-Enterprise Development Programme (MEDEP) to all 753 local units toward helping women-led micro enterprises. </span></span></span></p> <p><span style="font-size:16px"><span style="font-family:Calibri,"sans-serif""><span style="font-family:"Arial","sans-serif"">Women entrepreneurs need support in every step of their overall entrepreneurship or business cycle. For that, the government is ready to provide such support. The priority should be on boosting mass production in the country. </span></span></span></p> <p><span style="font-size:16px"><span style="font-family:Calibri,"sans-serif""><span style="font-family:"Arial","sans-serif"">We are focused on promoting women entrepreneurs also in rural areas. The government has been providing a waiver on revenue for women entrepreneurs or registration of properties. But, that has not helped in increasing women’s role in decision making. We have taken the registration process of business to online system. There is a one-door system for registration of businesses. So, women do not need to visit the Department of Industry to register their businesses. Now, local-level governments register enterprises of certain capital. </span></span></span></p> <p> </p> <p><span style="font-size:16px"><span style="font-family:Calibri,"sans-serif""><strong><span style="font-family:"Arial","sans-serif"">Pranu Singh, </span></strong><span style="font-family:"Arial","sans-serif"">Head of Corporate affairs, Brand and Marketing, Standard Chartered Bank Nepal Limited</span></span></span></p> <p><span style="font-size:16px"><span style="font-family:Calibri,"sans-serif""><span style="font-family:"Arial","sans-serif"">There are separate policies and regulations for women entrepreneurs. Especially, the new financial literacy framework introduced recently is really impressive and we have already started working on it. But since there are many gaps in implementing the policies and regulations, making women entrepreneurs aware will of course fill up those gaps, but it is going to take some time. </span></span></span></p> <p><span style="font-size:16px"><span style="font-family:Calibri,"sans-serif""><span style="font-family:"Arial","sans-serif"">Digitization has definitely occurred but there are challenges everywhere. The beginning of everything starts from a family or community. When a woman expresses her interest towards entrepreneurship, the way her household treats is what matters. But there is the issue of mindset. For years the mindset has been shaped by the stereotype that men should go out to work and women should make a home. Not only in the rural areas, there are such gender biases in urban areas as well. It is a long process to change this mindset, but it is possible. It is necessary to start at the basic level and move step by step towards spreading awareness to the family on how to remove such biases. Women entrepreneurship is basically financial independence and hence awareness should be raised from the family level and organization level itself.</span></span></span></p> <p> </p> <p><span style="font-size:16px"><span style="font-family:Calibri,"sans-serif""><strong><span style="font-family:"Arial","sans-serif"">Dr Neelam Dhungana, </span></strong></span></span><span style="font-size:16px"><span style="font-family:Calibri,"sans-serif""><span style="font-family:"Arial","sans-serif"">Deputy Governor, Nepal Rastra Bank</span></span></span></p> <p><span style="font-size:16px"><span style="font-family:"Times New Roman","serif"">The entire economy was impacted due to the covid-19 pandemic. In the meantime, Nepal Rastra Bank brought different policies to encourage women entrepreneurs. Meanwhile, the central bank did a survey to study the impact of the pandemic in which it was found that only four percent of businesses were fully operating and 80 percent were partially closed. After the impact of coronavirus declined, around 82 percent of businesses have revived and this rate is increasing. </span></span></p> <p><span style="font-size:16px"><span style="font-family:"Times New Roman","serif"">The concessional loan scheme that the government and the central bank had brought to encourage women entrepreneurs, problems such as seeking collateral, target group not receiving the loan, men taking loans in the name of women were seen. Since the loan was not received by the target group, the objective was also not met. We have a high level coordination committee and we have concluded that the concessional loan procedure should be amended. </span></span></p> <p><span style="font-size:16px"><span style="font-family:"Times New Roman","serif"">Lack of ownership in the property is still a major problem for women entrepreneurs. As per the data of ministry of land management, women with land ownership has increased to 43 percent from 20 percent. However, it is very difficult for a woman to take loan even if she has land. So, women cannot take decisions, and it is men who ultimately take the decision. </span></span></p> <p><span style="font-size:16px"><span style="font-family:"Times New Roman","serif"">Besides, the troublesome and lengthy documentation process discourages women entrepreneurs. They also do not know how to write an effective business proposal, which is also a problem. In some cases, men have been misusing the loan in the name of women. The upcoming concessional loan procedure will address all these problems and work accordingly. </span></span><span style="font-size:16px"><span style="font-family:"Times New Roman","serif"">Women entrepreneurship is about financial independence.</span></span></p> ', 'published' => true, 'created' => '2022-04-22', 'modified' => '2022-04-24', 'keywords' => '', 'description' => '', 'sortorder' => '14892', 'image' => '20220422063211_IMG-20220422-WA0000.jpg', 'article_date' => '2022-04-22 18:40:19', 'homepage' => true, 'breaking_news' => false, 'main_news' => true, 'in_scroller' => false, 'user_id' => '34' ) ), (int) 9 => array( 'Article' => array( 'id' => '15149', 'article_category_id' => '273', 'title' => 'Standard Chartered NewBiz Business Women Summit and Awards 2022 Kicks Off', 'sub_title' => '', 'summary' => 'April 22: The Standard Chartered NewBiz Business Women Summit and Awards 2022 kicked off amid a special function in the capital on Thursday.', 'content' => '<p><span style="font-size:12pt"><span style="font-family:"Times New Roman","serif""><span style="font-size:13.5pt"><span style="font-family:"Calibri","sans-serif"">April 22: The Standard Chartered NewBiz Business Women Summit and Awards 2022 kicked off amid a special function in the capital on Thursday. The organizer New Business Age Pvt Ltd informed that 15 women entrepreneurs will be honored in 8 categories during the event.</span></span></span></span></p> <p><span style="font-size:12pt"><span style="font-family:"Times New Roman","serif""><span style="font-size:13.5pt"><span style="font-family:"Calibri","sans-serif"">Speaking at the inauguration of the awards ceremony, Sabita Subedi on behalf of the organisers, said that the awards ceremony would inspire others involved in women’s entrepreneurship. </span></span></span></span></p> <p><span style="font-size:12pt"><span style="font-family:"Times New Roman","serif""><span style="font-size:13.5pt"><span style="font-family:"Calibri","sans-serif"">“Women empowerment has been making rounds since a long time and it has achieved some success. However much more needs to be done. Let’s work hand in hands for entrepreneurship,” said NBA Director Subedi.</span></span></span></span></p> <p><img src="https://drive.google.com/uc?export=view&id=1HT_JlZkcmHxYWA5-zPPfWiV4aWnfCALy" /></p> <p><span style="font-size:12pt"><span style="font-family:"Times New Roman","serif""><span style="font-size:13.5pt"><span style="font-family:"Calibri","sans-serif"">New Business Age had organized various events across the country to promote women entrepreneurship in the run-up to the finale. The awards programme started with two women sharing their entrepreneurial journey. Following the programme, special interactive trainings in hybrid methods on financial literacy, entrepreneurship, time management and capacity development were held in Pokhara, Birgunj and Biratnagar. </span></span></span></span></p> <p><span style="font-size:12pt"><span style="font-family:"Times New Roman","serif""><span style="font-size:13.5pt"><span style="font-family:"Calibri","sans-serif"">NBA has been conducting such programmes to promote entrepreneurship and business since 2013. The programme to honor women entrepreneurs was initiated in 2021.</span></span></span></span></p> <p><span style="font-size:12pt"><span style="font-family:"Times New Roman","serif""><span style="font-size:13.5pt"><span style="font-family:"Calibri","sans-serif"">This year, the best seven women entrepreneurs from each province will also be honored with Rs 50,000 each. According to the organizers, the process of selecting women entrepreneurs for the honor had started since May last year. A jury comprising independent experts made the final selection of entrepreneurs from more than 2,000 women entrepreneurs.</span></span></span></span></p> <p><span style="font-size:12pt"><span style="font-family:"Times New Roman","serif""><span style="font-size:13.5pt"><span style="font-family:"Calibri","sans-serif"">Standard Chartered Bank is the main sponsor and Muktinath Bikas Bank Limited is the co-sponsor of the Summit and Awards to be held in Kathmandu on April 22. Likewise, the medical partner for the event is Star Hospital. Center for Leadership and Entrepreneurship is the knowledge partner, Turkish Airlines is the airlines partner, Daraz is the ecommerce partner, NECO Insurance Limited is the insurance partner and Dish Home FiberNet is the internet partner.</span></span></span></span></p> <p><span style="font-size:12pt"><span style="font-family:"Times New Roman","serif""><span style="font-size:13.5pt"><span style="font-family:"Calibri","sans-serif"">Similarly, the event is also supported by Agriculture Development Bank, Sipradi Trading, Reliable Life Insurance, Progressive Finance Limited, National Life Insurance, Federation of Women Entrepreneurs Association of Nepal (FWEAN), Federation of Nepalese Chambers of Commerce and Industry (FNCCI) and Nepal Rastra Bank.</span></span></span></span></p> ', 'published' => true, 'created' => '2022-04-22', 'modified' => '2022-04-24', 'keywords' => '', 'description' => '', 'sortorder' => '14891', 'image' => '20220422072813_New Business Age Summit and Awards.JPG', 'article_date' => '2022-04-22 16:46:46', 'homepage' => false, 'breaking_news' => false, 'main_news' => true, 'in_scroller' => false, 'user_id' => '34' ) ), (int) 10 => array( 'Article' => array( 'id' => '15148', 'article_category_id' => '236', 'title' => 'Nepal Starts Producing Electric Vehicles in the Country', 'sub_title' => '', 'summary' => 'April 22: Sundar Auto Engineering Pvt Ltd, a sister company of Sundar Transport Pvt Ltd, has started production of electric vehicles in Nepal.', 'content' => '<p><span style="font-size:12pt"><span style="font-family:"Times New Roman","serif"">April 22: Sundar Auto Engineering Pvt Ltd, a sister company of Sundar Transport Pvt Ltd, has started production of electric vehicles in Nepal. The company informed that it started the production of electric vehicles with the objective of reducing consumption of petroleum products by increasing the use of environment-friendly vehicles in Nepal.</span></span></p> <p><span style="font-size:12pt"><span style="font-family:"Times New Roman","serif"">Sundar Auto set up an assembly plant in Rupandehi district two years ago with an investment of around Rs 1 billion to produce electric vehicles in Nepal by importing spare parts from abroad. The company informed during a press conference organized in Kathmandu on Thursday that it succeeded in producing electric vehicles after a long period of tests. In the initial phase, the company will be producing all types of motorcycles, scooters and cars. </span></span></p> <p><span style="font-size:12pt"><span style="font-family:"Times New Roman","serif"">Bhesh Bahadur Thapa, operator of Sundar Yatayat Pvt Ltd, said that the company also installs electric engines on all kinds of vehicles powered by petrol and diesel.</span></span></p> <p><span style="font-size:12pt"><span style="font-family:"Times New Roman","serif"">He informed that it costs around Rs 70,000 to Rs 80,000 to add a new engine run by electric energy on a scooter or a motorcycle powered by fuel. The new engine will allow the vehicles run for 100 km. After the charge finishes, the vehicle will switch back to run with fuel. He said that it would cost Rs 120,000 to Rs 140,000 to add electric engine on a four-wheeler powered by fossil fuel.</span></span></p> <p><span style="font-size:12pt"><span style="font-family:"Times New Roman","serif"">Converting an old bike or scooter to electric vehicle is cost-effective in the long run.</span></span></p> <p><span style="font-size:12pt"><span style="font-family:"Times New Roman","serif"">Pandav Poudel, an engineer at Sundar Auto Engineering Pvt. Ltd. said, “A scooter or bike that runs a hundred kilometers costs Rs 450 on fuel. Converting it to electric can cover the same distance at just Rs 31 and help people save more than Rs 400. He informed that it takes three days to convert a fuel powered vehicle to an electricity powered vehicle. So far, the company converts only scooters, bikes and cars into electrical vehicles. Engineer Poudel informed that test work is being done in case of Hiace and big buses.</span></span></p> <p><span style="font-size:12pt"><span style="font-family:"Times New Roman","serif""><strong>Electric vehicles outside the valley</strong></span></span></p> <p><span style="font-size:12pt"><span style="font-family:"Times New Roman","serif"">Sundar Transport Pvt. Ltd. is going to operate electric vehicles outside the Kathmandu Valley as well. The company informed that it is preparing to run electric vehicles in major cities outside the Kathmandu Valley with the objective of providing transportation services at affordable prices in the face of increasing fuel prices.</span></span></p> <p><span style="font-size:12pt"><span style="font-family:"Times New Roman","serif"">Officials of the company said that they are preparing to run an electric bus from Kakadvitta of Jhapa to Biratnagar by April 28. Similarly, preparations are being made to run an electric bus from Bhandara of Chitwan to Nawalparasi by May 29. Sundar Transport is currently running electric bus in Kathmandu Valley.</span></span></p> <p> </p> ', 'published' => true, 'created' => '2022-04-22', 'modified' => '2022-04-22', 'keywords' => '', 'description' => '', 'sortorder' => '14890', 'image' => '20220422030631_electric-bikes-in-nepal.jpg', 'article_date' => '2022-04-22 15:05:33', 'homepage' => false, 'breaking_news' => false, 'main_news' => true, 'in_scroller' => null, 'user_id' => '34' ) ), (int) 11 => array( 'Article' => array( 'id' => '15147', 'article_category_id' => '277', 'title' => 'State Undermines Agriculture Sector: Experts', 'sub_title' => '', 'summary' => 'April 22: Experts have accused the government of undermining the agriculture sector of the country. ', 'content' => '<p><span style="font-size:12pt"><span style="font-family:"Times New Roman","serif"">April 22: Experts have accused the government of undermining the agriculture sector of the country. Due to the government’s apathy, economists say that the import of goods that are produced within the country has also increased while the fertile lands have been left barren.</span></span></p> <p><span style="font-size:12pt"><span style="font-family:"Times New Roman","serif"">Speaking at a program organized by the Nepal Intellectuals’ council on Thursday, former governor of Nepal Rastra Bank Dipendra Bahadur Chhetri said that it is unfortunate that agriculture sector is not even included in the national policy. Chhetri said, “In fact, the government has devalued the agricultural sector. It is not the fault of the present or any particular government; all the governments are responsible for the devaluation of the agricultural sector. On top of that, even the citizens have started living luxurious life. This has put a negative impact not only on the agricultural sector, but also on the economy as a whole.”</span></span></p> <p><span style="font-size:12pt"><span style="font-family:"Times New Roman","serif"">The former governor said that the agricultural sector should also be given special priority to solve the current problems seen in the economy of the country in the long run.</span></span></p> <p><span style="font-size:12pt"><span style="font-family:"Times New Roman","serif"">Another former governor, Dr Tilak Rawal also said that the government has not prioritized on agriculture. </span></span></p> <p><span style="font-size:12pt"><span style="font-family:"Times New Roman","serif"">“It is not possible to make a big revolution in the agricultural sector immediately. But the production of commodities like paddy, wheat and vegetables can be increased immediately. But the government is still unaware of this fact,” Rawal said, adding, “In the last 7/8 months, vegetables like potatoes and tomatoes worth more than Rs 11 billion were imported. We can produce such vegetables in the country itself. However, the government has not introduced any policy to address this issue.”</span></span></p> <p><span style="font-size:12pt"><span style="font-family:"Times New Roman","serif"">Rawal stated that the US-China trade war, the Covid-19 pandemic and Russia-Ukraine tensions have had a direct impact on Nepal's economy and that the government cannot be blamed. He said that imports should be tightened immediately to solve the current problems associated with the economy.</span></span></p> <p><span style="font-size:12pt"><span style="font-family:"Times New Roman","serif"">Meanwhile, former finance secretary Rameshwar Khanal said the state of Nepal's economy is not worrisome. However he acknowledged that is a crucial time for the state to become alert. Khanal said, “There is enough foreign exchange reserves to support six months of imports, which is enough in itself. Even if it goes down to 3 months, there is still no need to panic,” he added, “On top of that, our foreign debt repayment schedule is good. Just 3 percent of the annual revenue is enough to pay the installment. Therefore, it is unlikely that the country will reach the same state as Sri Lanka.”</span></span></p> <p><span style="font-size:12pt"><span style="font-family:"Times New Roman","serif"">Former Minister Pradip Gyawali said that the investors are losing trust in the private sector. He said, “There is no guarantee that the domestic investors are safe to invest in the country. As a result, the capital is being driven off. Also, the government lacks seriousness on this issue.”</span></span></p> <p> </p> ', 'published' => true, 'created' => '2022-04-22', 'modified' => '2022-04-22', 'keywords' => '', 'description' => '', 'sortorder' => '14889', 'image' => '20220422012326_Agri.jpg', 'article_date' => '2022-04-22 13:22:51', 'homepage' => false, 'breaking_news' => false, 'main_news' => true, 'in_scroller' => false, 'user_id' => '34' ) ), (int) 12 => array( 'Article' => array( 'id' => '15146', 'article_category_id' => '1', 'title' => 'Bara-Parsa Industrial Corridor Facing Power Cuts for 12 Hours a Day', 'sub_title' => '', 'summary' => 'April 22: Industries of Bara-Parsa corridor are facing an acute shortage of energy at the moment. ', 'content' => '<p><span style="font-size:11pt"><span style="font-family:Calibri,"sans-serif""><span style="font-size:12.0pt"><span style="font-family:"Times New Roman","serif"">April 22: Industries of Bara-Parsa corridor are facing an acute shortage of energy at the moment. The industrialists say that they are facing unannounced power cuts for 12 hours a day through the 66 kV transmission line of Nepal Electricity Authority (NEA).</span></span></span></span></p> <p><span style="font-size:11pt"><span style="font-family:Calibri,"sans-serif""><span style="font-size:12.0pt"><span style="font-family:"Times New Roman","serif"">Even though the NEA has declared Nepal free from load shedding, the industries here have been affected by the recent energy crisis.</span></span></span></span></p> <p><span style="font-size:11pt"><span style="font-family:Calibri,"sans-serif""><span style="font-size:12.0pt"><span style="font-family:"Times New Roman","serif"">The production of the industries has dropped to 25/30 per cent due to lack of regular supply of electricity.</span></span></span></span></p> <p><span style="font-size:11pt"><span style="font-family:Calibri,"sans-serif""><span style="font-size:12.0pt"><span style="font-family:"Times New Roman","serif"">“There is power cut for 10/12 hours every day. How is production possible in this way?” an industrialist complained. The supply of electricity to the industries from the NEA's 33 and 11 kV lines is disrupted comparatively less. The industrialists receiving electricity from 66 kV line are more affected.</span></span></span></span></p> <p><span style="font-size:11pt"><span style="font-family:Calibri,"sans-serif""><span style="font-size:12.0pt"><span style="font-family:"Times New Roman","serif"">Chairman of the Birgunj Chamber of Commerce and Industry Subodh Kumar Gupta said that the industries connected to the 66 kV line are experiencing load shedding for 12 hours a day and power tripping 5-6 times a day. Gupta said that there were problems in supply from other transmission lines as well.</span></span></span></span></p> <p><span style="font-size:11pt"><span style="font-family:Calibri,"sans-serif""><span style="font-size:12.0pt"><span style="font-family:"Times New Roman","serif"">"In the last few years, the industries had increased their production capacity due to the easy supply of electricity. But now, they are facing problems due to lack of energy. The industries in this corridor, which is facing energy problems, are now operating at 25-30 per cent of their capacity,” said Gupta.</span></span></span></span></p> <p><span style="font-size:11pt"><span style="font-family:Calibri,"sans-serif""><span style="font-size:12.0pt"><span style="font-family:"Times New Roman","serif"">Suresh Bhattarai, head of the NEA's grid operation department, claims that the current energy shortage is short-lived. According to Bhattarai, Nepal has also been affected by the global energy crisis following Ukraine’s invasion by Russia. </span></span></span></span></p> <p><span style="font-size:11pt"><span style="font-family:Calibri,"sans-serif""><span style="font-size:12.0pt"><span style="font-family:"Times New Roman","serif"">NEA insists that the problem of power cuts is due to excessive load. Bhattarai said that the supply could be disrupted in the future even if there is enough energy if the planned 132 to 400 kV transmission line is not constructed soon.</span></span></span></span></p> <p><span style="font-size:11pt"><span style="font-family:Calibri,"sans-serif""><span style="font-size:12.0pt"><span style="font-family:"Times New Roman","serif"">NEA Birgunj Distribution Center Chief Jitendra Kumar Jha also said that the problem in supply of electricity is mainly due to excessive load in the transmission line.</span></span></span></span></p> <p><span style="font-size:11pt"><span style="font-family:Calibri,"sans-serif""><span style="font-size:12.0pt"><span style="font-family:"Times New Roman","serif"">He said that the Parwanipur-Raxaul 132 kV transmission line has been experiencing frequent power outages due to high load.</span></span></span></span></p> <p><span style="font-size:11pt"><span style="font-family:Calibri,"sans-serif""><span style="font-size:12.0pt"><span style="font-family:"Times New Roman","serif"">Most of the industries in the Bara-Parsa corridor are being supplied electricity from India through this transmission line. About 90 MW of electricity consumed in the corridor comes from this line.</span></span></span></span></p> <p><span style="font-size:11pt"><span style="font-family:Calibri,"sans-serif""><span style="font-size:12.0pt"><span style="font-family:"Times New Roman","serif"">According to Bhattarai, NEA has started construction of additional 132 KV transmission lines in Parwanipur-Raxaul, 400 KV Hetauda-Dhalkebar, 400 KV Hetauda-Inaruwa and 200 KV Hetauda-Bardaghat transmission lines.</span></span></span></span></p> <p><span style="font-size:11pt"><span style="font-family:Calibri,"sans-serif""><span style="font-size:12.0pt"><span style="font-family:"Times New Roman","serif"">Industrialists say that the raw material of industrial establishments get wasted due to frequent power cuts, and electricity tariff is also rising. It has led to an increase in production costs and decline in quality, they say.</span></span></span></span></p> <p> </p> <p><span style="font-size:11pt"><span style="font-family:Calibri,"sans-serif""> </span></span></p> <p> </p> ', 'published' => true, 'created' => '2022-04-22', 'modified' => '2022-04-22', 'keywords' => '', 'description' => '', 'sortorder' => '14888', 'image' => '20220422115047_ffff.jpg', 'article_date' => '2022-04-22 11:50:08', 'homepage' => false, 'breaking_news' => false, 'main_news' => true, 'in_scroller' => false, 'user_id' => '34' ) ), (int) 13 => array( 'Article' => array( 'id' => '15145', 'article_category_id' => '273', 'title' => 'Standard Chartered NewBiz Business Women Summit and Awards 2022 Today', 'sub_title' => '', 'summary' => 'April 21: The final countdown of the Standard Chartered NewBiz Business Women Summit and Awards 2022 will begin at 3 pm today afternoon amid a special function in the capital. ', 'content' => '<p><span style="font-size:12pt"><span style="font-family:"Times New Roman","serif""><span style="font-size:13.5pt"><span style="font-family:"Calibri","sans-serif"">April 21: The final countdown of the Standard Chartered NewBiz Business Women Summit and Awards 2022 will begin at 3 pm today afternoon amid a special function in the capital. The organizer New Business Age Pvt. Ltd. informed that the best 15 women in 8 categories will be honored during the event.</span></span></span></span></p> <p><span style="font-size:12pt"><span style="font-family:"Times New Roman","serif""><span style="font-size:13.5pt"><span style="font-family:"Calibri","sans-serif"">New Business Age had organized various events across the country to promote women entrepreneurship in the run-up to the finale. The awards programme started with two women sharing their entrepreneurial journey. Following the programme, special interactive trainings in hybrid methods on financial literacy, entrepreneurship, time management and capacity development were held in Pokhara, Birgunj and Biratnagar. </span></span></span></span></p> <p><img src="https://drive.google.com/uc?export=view&id=1HT_JlZkcmHxYWA5-zPPfWiV4aWnfCALy" /></p> <p><span style="font-size:12pt"><span style="font-family:"Times New Roman","serif""><span style="font-size:13.5pt"><span style="font-family:"Calibri","sans-serif"">NBA has been conducting such programmes to promote entrepreneurship and business since 2013. The programme to honor women entrepreneurs was initiated in 2021.</span></span></span></span></p> <p><span style="font-size:12pt"><span style="font-family:"Times New Roman","serif""><span style="font-size:13.5pt"><span style="font-family:"Calibri","sans-serif"">This year, the best seven women entrepreneurs from each province will also be honored with Rs 50,000 each. According to the organizers, the process of selecting women entrepreneurs for the honor had started since May last year. A jury comprising independent experts made the final selection of entrepreneurs from more than 2,000 women entrepreneurs.</span></span></span></span></p> <p><span style="font-size:12pt"><span style="font-family:"Times New Roman","serif""><span style="font-size:13.5pt"><span style="font-family:"Calibri","sans-serif"">Standard Chartered Bank is the main sponsor and Muktinath Bikas Bank Limited is the co-sponsor of the Summit and Awards to be held in Kathmandu on April 22. Likewise, the medical partner for the event is Star Hospital. Center for Leadership and Entrepreneurship is the knowledge partner, Turkish Airlines is the airlines partner, Daraz is the ecommerce partner, NECO Insurance Limited is the insurance partner and Dish Home FiberNet is the internet partner.</span></span></span></span></p> <p><span style="font-size:12pt"><span style="font-family:"Times New Roman","serif""><span style="font-size:13.5pt"><span style="font-family:"Calibri","sans-serif"">Similarly, the event is also supported by Agriculture Development Bank, Sipradi Trading, Reliable Life Insurance, Progressive Finance Limited, National Life Insurance, Federation of Women Entrepreneurs Association of Nepal (FWEAN), Federation of Nepalese Chambers of Commerce and Industry (FNCCI) and Nepal Rastra Bank.</span></span></span></span></p> ', 'published' => true, 'created' => '2022-04-22', 'modified' => '2022-04-24', 'keywords' => '', 'description' => '', 'sortorder' => '14887', 'image' => '20220422112228_20220421010649_1650496679.3.jpg', 'article_date' => '2022-04-22 11:21:46', 'homepage' => false, 'breaking_news' => false, 'main_news' => true, 'in_scroller' => false, 'user_id' => '34' ) ), (int) 14 => array( 'Article' => array( 'id' => '15144', 'article_category_id' => '270', 'title' => 'Chinese Ambassador Assures to Help Nepal Export its Products to China ', 'sub_title' => '', 'summary' => 'April 21: Chinese Ambassador to Nepal, Hou Yanqi, has assured of helping Nepal to export its products to China. ', 'content' => '<p><span style="font-size:11pt"><span style="font-family:Calibri,"sans-serif""><span style="font-family:"Arial Unicode MS","sans-serif"">April 21: Chinese Ambassador to Nepal, Hou Yanqi, has assured of helping Nepal to export its products to China. </span><br /> <span style="font-family:"Arial Unicode MS","sans-serif"">Addressing a press meet through virtual means on Thursday, the Chinese Ambassador shared that her country has given high importance to the Nepal's request to resume export to China from the dry port. </span><br /> <span style="font-family:"Arial Unicode MS","sans-serif"">She opined that the officials of the concerned bodies, neighbouring provinces and border dry ports of both sides have been communicating and coordinating to this end. </span><br /> <span style="font-family:"Arial Unicode MS","sans-serif"">Expressing her belief that collaboration between Nepal and China would gain momentum once Nepal's economy and society return to normalcy after COVID-19 pandemic, the Chinese Ambassador said that she was confident that Nepali side would help create free and transparent trade environment, to fully protect the legitimate rights and interest of Chinese enterprises and to resolve their practical problems. </span><br /> <span style="font-family:"Arial Unicode MS","sans-serif"">Responding to queries on resuming direct flights between Nepal and China and facilitating Nepali students to return back to China for higher studies, the ambassador said, “The return of students to schools after the pandemic has remained as a general issue internationally. And, the direct flight between Nepal and China was suspended following the announcement of the Government of Nepal to suspend its international flights as preventive measures against pandemic and the suspension continues till date.” </span><br /> <span style="font-family:"Arial Unicode MS","sans-serif"">Making it clear that the Belt and Road Initiative (BRI) was never a geopolitical strategy, the Chinese ambassador said it is, instead, a project for taking Nepal-like developing countries towards the path of sustainable development and helping promote shared prosperity. -- RSS </span></span></span></p> ', 'published' => true, 'created' => '2022-04-21', 'modified' => '2022-04-21', 'keywords' => '', 'description' => '', 'sortorder' => '14886', 'image' => '20220421055547_131620360_210452010584844_6192150950891783236_n.jpg', 'article_date' => '2022-04-21 17:54:55', 'homepage' => false, 'breaking_news' => false, 'main_news' => true, 'in_scroller' => false, 'user_id' => '34' ) ) ) $current_user = null $logged_in = falseinclude - APP/View/Elements/side_bar.ctp, line 60 View::_evaluate() - CORE/Cake/View/View.php, line 971 View::_render() - CORE/Cake/View/View.php, line 933 View::_renderElement() - CORE/Cake/View/View.php, line 1224 View::element() - CORE/Cake/View/View.php, line 418 include - APP/View/Articles/index.ctp, line 157 View::_evaluate() - CORE/Cake/View/View.php, line 971 View::_render() - CORE/Cake/View/View.php, line 933 View::render() - CORE/Cake/View/View.php, line 473 Controller::render() - CORE/Cake/Controller/Controller.php, line 968 Dispatcher::_invoke() - CORE/Cake/Routing/Dispatcher.php, line 200 Dispatcher::dispatch() - CORE/Cake/Routing/Dispatcher.php, line 167 [main] - APP/webroot/index.php, line 117
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Tourism activities which had slowed down due to Covid-19, is picking up pace again.', 'content' => '<p><span style="font-size:11pt"><span style="font-family:Calibri,"sans-serif""><span style="font-size:12.0pt"><span style="font-family:"Arial","sans-serif"">April 24: Tourism activities have increased in Mustang. Tourism activities which had slowed down due to Covid-19, is picking up pace again. For the past few days, the number of tourists going to and from Mustang via Myagdi has increased along the Beni-Jomsom road.</span></span></span></span></p> <p><span style="font-size:11pt"><span style="font-family:Calibri,"sans-serif""><span style="font-size:12.0pt"><span style="font-family:"Arial","sans-serif"">Rishi Baral, head of the Annapurna Conservation Area Project (ACAP) at Jomsom, said that the arrival of domestic tourists has increased while foreign tourists have also started visiting Mustang. </span></span></span></span></p> <p><span style="font-size:11pt"><span style="font-family:Calibri,"sans-serif""><span style="font-size:12.0pt"><span style="font-family:"Arial","sans-serif"">"The number of foreign tourists visiting Mustang by road and air has increased," he said.</span></span></span></span></p> <p><span style="font-size:11pt"><span style="font-family:Calibri,"sans-serif""><span style="font-size:12.0pt"><span style="font-family:"Arial","sans-serif"">According to the District Traffic Police Office, 50 buses, 150 jeeps and 200 tourist vehicles enter Mustang daily through Myagdi.</span></span></span></span></p> <p><span style="font-size:11pt"><span style="font-family:Calibri,"sans-serif""><span style="font-size:12.0pt"><span style="font-family:"Arial","sans-serif"">Police Chief Indra Bahadur Nepali said that the Border Police Post at Kalipul Post and Bhurung Tatopani in Beni keep records of vehicles entering and leaving Mustang.</span></span></span></span></p> <p><span style="font-size:11pt"><span style="font-family:Calibri,"sans-serif""><span style="font-size:12.0pt"><span style="font-family:"Arial","sans-serif"">Access to vaccines against Covid-19 has led to a decline in infection rate, while the lifting of restrictions on tourist sites and favorable weather have led to increase in number of tourists.</span></span></span></span></p> <p><span style="font-size:11pt"><span style="font-family:Calibri,"sans-serif""><span style="font-size:12.0pt"><span style="font-family:"Arial","sans-serif"">Tourists are flocking to Muktinath Temple, Kagbeni, Korala, Lo-Manthang, Jomsom, Dhumwa Lake and Lete. </span></span></span></span></p> <p><span style="font-size:11pt"><span style="font-family:Calibri,"sans-serif""><span style="font-size:12.0pt"><span style="font-family:"Arial","sans-serif"">Samjhana Thakali, a resident of Jomsom, said that those visiting the area include mothers’ group, forest users’ group, club members, cooperatives and students for educational purpose.</span></span></span></span></p> <p><span style="font-size:11pt"><span style="font-family:Calibri,"sans-serif""><span style="font-size:12.0pt"><span style="font-family:"Arial","sans-serif"">The road in Mustang has reached up to Korala pass on the Chinese border. The easy access to transportation has made travel costs cheaper and time shorter.</span></span></span></span></p> <p><span style="font-size:11pt"><span style="font-family:Calibri,"sans-serif""><span style="font-size:12.0pt"><span style="font-family:"Arial","sans-serif"">Tourism activities in Mustang has been stagnant for the last two years since the outbreak of the Covid-19 in April 2020. Hotels and restaurants opened with millions of investment were slowed down due to lack of tourists. Entrepreneurs hope that the hotel business will return to its old rhythm with the increase in tourism activities.</span></span></span></span></p> <p><span style="font-size:11pt"><span style="font-family:Calibri,"sans-serif""><span style="font-size:12.0pt"><span style="font-family:"Arial","sans-serif"">Baburam Acharya, district president of the Hotel and Restaurant Entrepreneurs' Association, said that the businessmen of Myagdi were also relieved by the increasing movement of tourists going to and from Mustang.</span></span></span></span></p> <p> </p> ', 'published' => true, 'created' => '2022-04-24', 'modified' => '2022-04-24', 'keywords' => '', 'description' => '', 'sortorder' => '14900', 'image' => '20220424035529_istockphoto-534638391-612x612.jpg', 'article_date' => '2022-04-24 15:49:34', 'homepage' => false, 'breaking_news' => false, 'main_news' => true, 'in_scroller' => false, 'user_id' => '34' ) ), (int) 1 => array( 'Article' => array( 'id' => '15157', 'article_category_id' => '277', 'title' => 'Agriculture Sector needs Encouragement not Donation: Finance Minister ', 'sub_title' => '', 'summary' => 'April 24: Finance Minister Janardan Sharma has said that the agriculture sector needs encouragement, not grants in the budget of the upcoming fiscal year. ', 'content' => '<p><span style="font-size:12pt"><span style="font-family:"Times New Roman","serif"">April 24: Finance Minister Janardan Sharma has said that the agriculture sector needs encouragement, not grants in the budget of the upcoming fiscal year. During an interaction with the Ministry of Agriculture and Livestock Development on Friday to discuss the upcoming budget as well as policies and programmes of the government, Finance Minister Sharma suggested not to use the word grant as the agriculture sector needs encouragement. </span></span></p> <p><span style="font-size:12pt"><span style="font-family:"Times New Roman","serif"">"When making the budget for the upcoming year, don't use the word subsidy in agriculture, remove it," he said. He said that it was important to reward the farmers on the basis of productivity.</span></span></p> <p><span style="font-size:12pt"><span style="font-family:"Times New Roman","serif"">Minister Sharma gave such instructions after Prakash Sanjel, Joint Secretary and Spokesperson of the Ministry of Agriculture, raised the issue of agricultural subsidy in the proposed program for the coming years. </span></span></p> <p><span style="font-size:12pt"><span style="font-family:"Times New Roman","serif"">The National Planning Commission has proposed a budget ceiling of Rs 42.73 billion for the Ministry of Agriculture for the upcoming fiscal year. The ministry has said that it will propose programmes within the budget limit. In the current fiscal year, only 2.5 percent of the total budget has been allocated for the agriculture sector and the average growth rate of agriculture and livestock has been 3 percent in the last ten years, according to the Ministry of Agriculture. </span></span></p> <p><span style="font-size:12pt"><span style="font-family:"Times New Roman","serif"">During the interaction, Finance Minister Sharma complained that there was a delay in setting up quarantine at the border despite repeated instructions. </span></span></p> <p><span style="font-size:12pt"><span style="font-family:"Times New Roman","serif"">He instructed to carry out examination of imported agricultural produce and food items and also to ensure quantity of pesticides and the condition of labeling etc. He directed to increase the production by distributing improved varieties of seeds to the farmers who are preparing to plant paddy in June-July. "Distribute seeds of high quality of paddy to the farmers immediately. We will provide some budget if needed for this," he said. “Imports should be reduced by increasing paddy production as soon as possible." </span></span></p> <p> </p> ', 'published' => true, 'created' => '2022-04-24', 'modified' => '2022-04-24', 'keywords' => '', 'description' => '', 'sortorder' => '14899', 'image' => '20220424034134_agri maize.jpg', 'article_date' => '2022-04-24 15:40:56', 'homepage' => false, 'breaking_news' => false, 'main_news' => true, 'in_scroller' => null, 'user_id' => '34' ) ), (int) 2 => array( 'Article' => array( 'id' => '15156', 'article_category_id' => '1', 'title' => 'More Investment needed to make Nepal Self-reliant in Medicines', 'sub_title' => '', 'summary' => 'April 24: President Bidya Devi Bhandari has stated that more investment is necessary to make the country self-reliant in medicines. ', 'content' => '<p><span style="font-size:12pt"><span style="font-family:"Times New Roman","serif"">April 24: President Bidya Devi Bhandari has stated that more investment is necessary to make the country self-reliant in medicines. Inaugurating the 'Nepal Pharma Expo 2022' at the Chitwan Expo Center in Bharatpur on Friday, she emphasized on the need to produce the medicines needed in the country within the country itself. She also highlighted the need to promote commercial farming of medicinal herbs in the country to attain the target.</span></span></p> <p><span style="font-size:12pt"><span style="font-family:"Times New Roman","serif"">President Bhandari said, “During the Covid-19 pandemic, we faced the challenge of drug shortage. Which is why, it is necessary to increase investment in drug production and manage the supply chain. To obtain this, emphasis should be given to domestic production of medicinal herbs.” The president stressed that the state should coordinate with the private sector to make the country self-reliant in medicine.</span></span></p> <p><span style="font-size:12pt"><span style="font-family:"Times New Roman","serif"">Speaking on the occasion, Shekhar Golchha, president of the Federation of Nepalese Chambers of Commerce and Industry (FNCCI), stated that there are problems in the country in the sectors like import and export, interest of banks and others. He said that the government should bring industry-friendly policy to get rid of the existing problems. Stating that Covid-19 taught a lot to Nepali people, he pointed out the need to make the country self-reliant in medicine as well.</span></span></p> <p><span style="font-size:12pt"><span style="font-family:"Times New Roman","serif"">President of Nepal Medical Association Dr. Lochan Karki said that the role of medicine is critical to keep Nepali citizens healthy.</span></span></p> <p><span style="font-size:12pt"><span style="font-family:"Times New Roman","serif"">Meanwhile, the Deputy Chairman of the National Planning Commission Dr. Biswo Nath Poudel said that the government is ready to help the pharmaceutical industry. He made such remarks at an interaction program on 'Possibilities and Challenges of Pharmaceutical Production in Nepal' held during the second day of the expo on Saturday.</span></span></p> <p><span style="font-size:12pt"><span style="font-family:"Times New Roman","serif""> “Increase in drug production helps reduce imports. We are ready to help,” he said adding that it is time to increase the production of export-oriented goods, pointing at the declining foreign exchange reserves of Nepal.</span></span></p> <p><span style="font-size:12pt"><span style="font-family:"Times New Roman","serif"">Spokesperson of the Department of Drug Management Santosh KC remarked that foreign investment is also needed to make the country self-reliant in medicine by increasing the production of drugs. He also emphasized on the need to increase the production of essential medicines in Nepal. Speaking on the occasion, former president of the association, Deepak Prasad Dahal said that Nepal is capable of producing quality and essential medicines, and pointed out that the Drugs Act of 2035 BS should be amended.</span></span></p> <p> </p> ', 'published' => true, 'created' => '2022-04-24', 'modified' => '2022-04-24', 'keywords' => '', 'description' => '', 'sortorder' => '14898', 'image' => '20220424030239_18016929_101.jpg', 'article_date' => '2022-04-24 15:02:03', 'homepage' => false, 'breaking_news' => false, 'main_news' => true, 'in_scroller' => false, 'user_id' => '34' ) ), (int) 3 => array( 'Article' => array( 'id' => '15155', 'article_category_id' => '1', 'title' => 'Water Supply from Melamchi Resumes from Today ', 'sub_title' => '', 'summary' => 'April 24: The residents of Kathmandu Valley finally have access to drinking water from Melamchi almost a year after the supply has halted due to natural disasters.', 'content' => '<p><span style="font-size:12pt"><span style="font-family:"Times New Roman","serif"">April 24: The residents of Kathmandu Valley finally have access to drinking water from Melamchi almost a year after the supply has halted due to natural disasters as well as other technical reasons.</span></span></p> <p><span style="font-size:12pt"><span style="font-family:"Times New Roman","serif"">The distribution of drinking water started today (April 24) after the structures damaged by flood last year’s floods were repaired. The supply of water resumed after Minister for Drinking Water Umakanta Chaudhary inaugurated the water tank at Min Bhawan in Kathmandu on Sunday morning.</span></span></p> <p><span style="font-size:12pt"><span style="font-family:"Times New Roman","serif"">Water supply from Melamchi was halted last May. After the repairs and reconstruction of the damaged structure, Kathmandu Upatyaka Khanepani Limited (KUKL) started distributing the drinking water to the taps from Sunday.</span></span></p> <p><span style="font-size:12pt"><span style="font-family:"Times New Roman","serif"">The Ministry of Water Supply initiated the repair of the diversion of the pathway for water supply to Kathmandu from April after completing the maintenance and cleaning work of the project. Water from Melamchi is distributed in the Kathmandu valley via new as well as old taps as well.</span></span></p> <p><span style="font-size:12pt"><span style="font-family:"Times New Roman","serif"">Water will soon be distributed in areas including Min Bhawan, Baneshwor, Thapathali, Mahankal (Chabahil), Anamnagar and other places. Meanwhile, water distribution has already started in Kirtipur, Khumaltar, Bode of Bhaktapur, Swayambhu, Balaju, Naya Bazaar, Kalimati, Maharajgunj and other areas starting today.</span></span></p> <p><span style="font-size:12pt"><span style="font-family:"Times New Roman","serif"">The government had announced to distribute drinking water from Melamchi to the people of the valley by mid-April. KUKL is distributing water after 10 days of announcement. After decades of construction, KUKL had started distributing water from Melamchi in the Kathmandu Valley on March 28, 2021. But at that time, distribution of drinking water had started as a test. </span></span></p> <p><span style="font-size:12pt"><span style="font-family:"Times New Roman","serif"">Spokesperson of the Melamchi Water Supply Development Committee Rajendra Prasad Pant informed that water was already been brought to Sundarijal of Kathmandu from the temporary structure and water distribution was possible since Sunday as the 27 km long tunnel was filled on Friday itself.</span></span></p> <p><span style="font-size:12pt"><span style="font-family:"Times New Roman","serif"">Altogether 170 million liters of water will be distributed daily in Kathmandu Valley. The project has been built with an investment of Rs 30 billion. In addition, floods and landslides from mid-June to mid-August caused a loss of Rs. 360 million.</span></span></p> <p> </p> ', 'published' => true, 'created' => '2022-04-24', 'modified' => '2022-04-24', 'keywords' => '', 'description' => '', 'sortorder' => '14897', 'image' => '20220424011204_Melamchi.jpg', 'article_date' => '2022-04-24 13:11:09', 'homepage' => false, 'breaking_news' => false, 'main_news' => true, 'in_scroller' => false, 'user_id' => '34' ) ), (int) 4 => array( 'Article' => array( 'id' => '15154', 'article_category_id' => '239', 'title' => 'Tourist Arrival on the rise in Langtang National Park', 'sub_title' => '', 'summary' => 'April 24: With the onset of spring season and the decline in number of Covid-19 cases, the number of domestic and foreign tourists visiting Langtang National Park in Rasuwa has increased significantly. ', 'content' => '<p><span style="font-size:11pt"><span style="font-family:Calibri,"sans-serif""><span style="font-family:"Arial Unicode MS","sans-serif"">April 24: With the onset of spring season and the decline in number of Covid-19 cases, the number of domestic and foreign tourists visiting Langtang National Park in Rasuwa has increased significantly. </span><br /> <span style="font-family:"Arial Unicode MS","sans-serif"">According to the Chief Conservation Officer of Langtang National Park, Pramod Bhattarai, around 100 domestic and more than 20 foreign tourists have been arriving on a daily basis in Langtang and the Gosainkunda lake located in the upper region of Rasuwa. </span><br /> <span style="font-family:"Arial Unicode MS","sans-serif"">Majority of the domestic tourists opt to visit the holy shrine of Gosainkunda while foreign tourists have been visiting the Langtang valley for trekking in the surrounding mountains, the state-owned national news agency RSS quoted Bhattarai as saying. </span><br /> <span style="font-family:"Arial Unicode MS","sans-serif"">According to RSS, hotelier Pasang Ghurmi Tamang of Chandanbari shared that the Gosaikunda pilgrimage route has become more vibrant after the tourists started flocking to the otherwise deserted area. Hoteliers say that there is hope for economic recovery as the number of visitors continues to increase. </span><br /> <span style="font-family:"Arial Unicode MS","sans-serif"">Apart from travelling by land, the attraction of devotees visiting Gosainkund by air is also increasing. The helicopter facility has made it easier for the senior citizens, who are unable to walk on foot, to visit this holy shrine, said a local priest Tanka Prasad Dhakal. </span></span></span><br /> </p> ', 'published' => true, 'created' => '2022-04-24', 'modified' => '2022-04-24', 'keywords' => '', 'description' => '', 'sortorder' => '14896', 'image' => '20220424110255_Tourist Arrival (1).jpeg', 'article_date' => '2022-04-24 11:02:17', 'homepage' => false, 'breaking_news' => false, 'main_news' => true, 'in_scroller' => false, 'user_id' => '34' ) ), (int) 5 => array( 'Article' => array( 'id' => '15153', 'article_category_id' => '228', 'title' => 'Jazeera Airlines to Make First International Flight to GBIA on May 16 ', 'sub_title' => '', 'summary' => 'April 24: Jazeera Airlines will be the first airlines company to make the debut international flight to the newly opened Gautam Buddha International Airport in Bhairahawa. ', 'content' => '<p><span style="font-size:11pt"><span style="font-family:Calibri,"sans-serif""><span style="font-family:"Arial Unicode MS","sans-serif"">April 24: Jazeera Airlines will be the first airlines company to make the debut international flight to the newly opened Gautam Buddha International Airport in Bhairahawa. </span><br /> <span style="font-family:"Arial Unicode MS","sans-serif"">The airport came into operation on Thursday. Jazeera Air will fly a narrow-body aircraft with a capacity of 278 passengers from Kuwait to Bhairahawa on the day of Buddha Jayanti on May 16, according to Civil Aviation Authority of Nepal. </span><br /> <span style="font-family:"Arial Unicode MS","sans-serif"">It will return the next day with passengers from Nepal to Kuwait. The airlines will then fly regularly to Bhairahawa three days a week on Monday, Wednesday and Friday. </span><br /> <span style="font-family:"Arial Unicode MS","sans-serif"">General Manager of the international airport, Govinda Dahal, said for now the international flights are scheduled for the night to manage the air traffic congestion caused due to a single runway. </span><br /> <span style="font-family:"Arial Unicode MS","sans-serif"">Director General of CAAN Pradip Adhikari said that the landing at Gautam Buddha International Airport in Bhairahawa is expected to be smooth as there is a 3,500-meter long runway that can accommodate five international flights at a time. </span><br /> <span style="font-family:"Arial Unicode MS","sans-serif"">Air traffic at the Tribhuvan International Airport in Kathmandu is expected to decrease with the operation of the new international airport in Bhairahawa. -- RSS </span></span></span></p> ', 'published' => true, 'created' => '2022-04-24', 'modified' => '2022-04-24', 'keywords' => '', 'description' => '', 'sortorder' => '14895', 'image' => '20220424105929_Jazeera Airways A320neo 2.jpg', 'article_date' => '2022-04-24 10:58:37', 'homepage' => false, 'breaking_news' => false, 'main_news' => true, 'in_scroller' => false, 'user_id' => '34' ) ), (int) 6 => array( 'Article' => array( 'id' => '15152', 'article_category_id' => '273', 'title' => 'Jawalakhel Group’s Maggie Shah Honored with Lifetime Achievement Award', 'sub_title' => '14 Women Entrepreneurs felicitated in NewBiz Business Women Summit and Awards 2022', 'summary' => 'April 22: Maggie Shah of Jawalakhel Group of Industries (JGI) has been honored with the Lifetime Achievement Award during the NewBiz Business Women Summit and Awards 2022 in recognition of her contribution to the Nepali business sector for over four decades.', 'content' => '<p><span style="font-size:11pt"><span style="font-family:Calibri,"sans-serif""><span style="font-size:12.0pt"><span style="font-family:"Times New Roman","serif"">April 22: Maggie Shah of Jawalakhel Group of Industries (JGI) has been honored with the Lifetime Achievement Award during the NewBiz Business Women Summit and Awards 2022 in recognition of her contribution to the Nepali business sector for over </span></span><span style="font-size:12.0pt"><span style="font-family:"Times New Roman","serif"">four decades.</span></span></span></span></p> <p><span style="font-size:11pt"><span style="font-family:Calibri,"sans-serif""><span style="font-size:12.0pt"><span style="font-family:"Times New Roman","serif"">Shah was felicitated with the lifetime achievement award during the event organized by </span></span><span style="font-size:12.0pt"><span style="font-family:"Times New Roman","serif"">New Business Age Pvt Ltd, the publishers of New Business Age monthly magazine and Aarthik Abhiyan National Daily. Standard Chartered Bank Nepal’s CEO Anirvan Ghosh Dastidar, National Planning Commission’s Vice Chairman Biswo Nath Poudel and New Business Age’s Chairman Madan Lamsal jointly handed over the award to Shah. </span></span></span></span></p> <p><img src="https://drive.google.com/uc?export=view&id=1HT_JlZkcmHxYWA5-zPPfWiV4aWnfCALy" /></p> <p><span style="font-size:11pt"><span style="font-family:Calibri,"sans-serif""><span style="font-size:12.0pt"><span style="font-family:"Times New Roman","serif"">Shah, promoter of JGI, has played a major role in taking the company to greater heights. She is also working for women empowerment through organisations such as Tewa, Federation of Women Entrepreneurs Association of Nepal (FWEAN) and SAARC Women Entrepreneur’s Council Nepal, among others.</span></span></span></span></p> <p><span style="font-size:11pt"><span style="font-family:Calibri,"sans-serif""><span style="font-size:12.0pt"><span style="font-family:"Times New Roman","serif"">Similarly, 13</span></span><span style="font-size:12.0pt"><span style="font-family:"Times New Roman","serif""> women entrepreneurs from various categories were also honored at the special ceremony.</span></span></span></span></p> <p><span style="font-size:11pt"><span style="font-family:Calibri,"sans-serif""><span style="font-size:12.0pt"><span style="font-family:"Times New Roman","serif"">Usha Giri, Chairperson of Rikishi Compost Pvt, was felicitated with the ‘Women Entrepreneur of the Year 2022’ award.</span></span></span></span></p> <p><span style="font-size:11pt"><span style="font-family:Calibri,"sans-serif""><span style="font-size:12.0pt"><span style="font-family:"Times New Roman","serif"">Seven women entrepreneurs from each province were awarded during the ceremony.</span></span></span></span></p> <p><span style="font-size:11pt"><span style="font-family:Calibri,"sans-serif""><span style="font-size:12.0pt"><span style="font-family:"Times New Roman","serif"">An independent panel of jury made the final selection of entrepreneurs from more than 2,000 women entrepreneurs.</span></span></span></span></p> <p><span style="font-size:11pt"><span style="font-family:Calibri,"sans-serif""><span style="font-size:12.0pt"><span style="font-family:"Times New Roman","serif"">Jyoti Sherchan, the first female architect of Nepal, was honoured with the ‘Professional Women of the Year 2022’ award, while Indira Yakthumba, principal of Gyanodaya School, received the ‘Inspirational Woman Entrepreneur of the Year 2022’ award.</span></span></span></span></p> <p><span style="font-size:11pt"><span style="font-family:Calibri,"sans-serif""><span style="font-size:12.0pt"><span style="font-family:"Times New Roman","serif"">Likewise, Prakriti Mainali, founder of Shakti Milan Nepal was honoured with the ‘Social Woman Entrepreneur of the Year’ award. Sunaina Thakur, founder of Sunaina Mithila Art was felicitated with the ‘Indigenous Woman Entrepreneur of the Year’ award.</span></span></span></span></p> <p><span style="font-size:11pt"><span style="font-family:Calibri,"sans-serif""><span style="font-size:12.0pt"><span style="font-family:"Times New Roman","serif"">Similarly, Dr Prativa Pandey, founder of Herveda Botanicals was felicitated with the ‘Emerging Woman Entrepreneur of the Year’ award.</span></span></span></span></p> <p><span style="font-size:11pt"><span style="font-family:Calibri,"sans-serif""><span style="font-size:12.0pt"><span style="font-family:"Times New Roman","serif"">The women entrepreneurs were awarded with cash prize, trophy and certificates.</span></span></span></span></p> <p><img src="https://drive.google.com/uc?export=view&id=15YuzQMZTJgVm9DJ5AltqvdFDKz5kbc5J" /></p> <p><span style="font-size:11pt"><span style="font-family:Calibri,"sans-serif""><span style="font-size:12.0pt"><span style="font-family:"Times New Roman","serif"">Likewise, seven enterprising women entrepreneurs from each province were honored with Rs 50,000 each and certificates.</span></span></span></span></p> <p><span style="font-size:11pt"><span style="font-family:Calibri,"sans-serif""><span style="font-size:12.0pt"><span style="font-family:"Times New Roman","serif"">Sita Rai, owner of Luma Gharelu Allo Udhyog and Training Center, Biratchowk (Province 1); Yashodha Gajurel, proprietor of Yashoda Bag and Readymade Udhyog, Birgunj (Madhesh Province); Basu Maya Tamang, proprietor of Nepali Mann Udhyog, Kathmandu (Bagmati Province); and Samikshya Sharma, proprietor of Parbat Krishi Uddham Kendra, Kusma, Parbat (Gandaki Province) bagged the ‘Enterprising Woman of the Year 2022’ awards.</span></span></span></span></p> <p><span style="font-size:11pt"><span style="font-family:Calibri,"sans-serif""><span style="font-size:12.0pt"><span style="font-family:"Times New Roman","serif"">Other entrepreneurs honoured with the ‘Enterprising Woman of the Year 2022’ awards were Neeru Chaudhary, owner of Panchashil Hastakala Kendra, Banke (Lumbini Province); Krishna Kumari Banshi, member of Laganshil Kosheli Textile Udhyog, Birendranagar, Surkhet (Karnali Province); and Dhana Devi Chokhal, owner of Keshav Madhav Krishi Farm Private Limited, Kailali (Sudurpaschim Province). </span></span></span></span></p> <p><span style="font-size:11pt"><span style="font-family:Calibri,"sans-serif""><span style="font-size:12.0pt"><span style="font-family:"Times New Roman","serif"">FWEAN President Neeru Rayamajhi Khatri was the chair of the jury committee. Barsha Shrestha, Anju Sharma, Kishore Maharjan and Sahara Joshi were the members of the jury.</span></span></span></span></p> <p><span style="font-size:11pt"><span style="font-family:Calibri,"sans-serif""><span style="font-size:12.0pt"><span style="font-family:"Times New Roman","serif"">According to the organizers, the jury committee had selected the award winners based on criteria like compliance with regulations, quality of organizational management, quality of business operations, financial indicators, social impact, innovation or novelty in business or product, employment generation, contribution to export or import substitution, calibre and struggle, number of enterprise the entrepreneur is operating, and jury judgment.</span></span></span></span></p> <p><span style="font-size:11pt"><span style="font-family:Calibri,"sans-serif""><span style="font-size:12.0pt"><span style="font-family:"Times New Roman","serif"">Addressing the ceremony, National Planning Commission Vice Chairman Biswo Nath Poudel, who was also the chief guest of the ceremony, said that families in Nepal opt to buy motorcycles instead of washing machines.</span></span></span></span></p> <p><span style="font-size:11pt"><span style="font-family:Calibri,"sans-serif""><span style="font-size:12.0pt"><span style="font-family:"Times New Roman","serif"">“Washing machines and dish-washers are helpful for household chores for women but that does not fall on priority,” said Poudel, adding, “The challenge is to become inclusive. For example, our target is to provide electricity to every household. There are still 300,000 households who are deprived of electricity and those are mostly marginalized community. Supplying electricity to them is inclusion in true sense.”</span></span></span></span></p> <p><span style="font-size:11pt"><span style="font-family:Calibri,"sans-serif""><span style="font-size:12.0pt"><span style="font-family:"Times New Roman","serif"">Also speaking at the ceremony, FNCCI President Shekhar Golchha said thanked New Business Age for inviting him to the event and praised the constitution of Nepal for its inclusiveness. </span></span></span></span></p> <p><span style="font-size:11pt"><span style="font-family:Calibri,"sans-serif""><span style="font-size:12.0pt"><span style="font-family:"Times New Roman","serif""> An in-depth group discussion on ‘Post-pandemic Opportunities for Women Entrepreneurs’ was also held during the event where the panelists highlighted how women entrepreneurs overcame the challenges posed by Covid-19.</span></span></span></span></p> <p><span style="font-size:11pt"><span style="font-family:Calibri,"sans-serif""><span style="font-size:12.0pt"><span style="font-family:"Times New Roman","serif"">According to the organisers, three special interactive training programs in hybrid methods on financial literacy, entrepreneurship, time management and capacity development were held in Pokhara, Birgunj and Biratnagar in the lead-up to the summit and award ceremony.</span></span></span></span></p> <p><span style="font-size:11pt"><span style="font-family:Calibri,"sans-serif""><span style="font-size:12.0pt"><span style="font-family:"Times New Roman","serif"">This is the second edition of ‘Standard Chartered NewBiz Business Women Summit and Award 2022’.</span></span></span></span></p> <p><span style="font-size:11pt"><span style="font-family:Calibri,"sans-serif""><span style="font-size:12.0pt"><span style="font-family:"Times New Roman","serif"">Standard Chartered Bank is the title sponsor of the awards ceremony and Muktinath Bikas Bank is the co-sponsor. Star Hospital is the medical partner for the event. Center for Leadership and Entrepreneurship is the knowledge partner, Turkish Airlines is the airlines partner, Daraz is the ecommerce partner, NECO Insurance Limited is the insurance partner and Fiber Net is the internet partner. </span></span></span></span></p> <p><span style="font-size:11pt"><span style="font-family:Calibri,"sans-serif""><span style="font-size:12.0pt"><span style="font-family:"Times New Roman","serif"">Similarly, the event is also supported by Agriculture Development Bank, Sipradi Trading, Storm, Reliable Life Insurance, Progressive Finance Limited, National Life Insurance, Federation of Women Entrepreneurs Association of Nepal (FWEAN), Federation of Nepalese Chambers of Commerce and Industry (FNCCI) and Nepal Rastra Bank. </span></span></span></span></p> ', 'published' => true, 'created' => '2022-04-22', 'modified' => '2022-04-23', 'keywords' => '', 'description' => '', 'sortorder' => '14894', 'image' => '20220423065345_IMG-20220423-WA0000.jpg', 'article_date' => '2022-04-22 19:35:51', 'homepage' => false, 'breaking_news' => false, 'main_news' => true, 'in_scroller' => false, 'user_id' => '34' ) ), (int) 7 => array( 'Article' => array( 'id' => '15151', 'article_category_id' => '273', 'title' => 'Standard Chartered’s Hsu highlights women’s role in driving commerce and prosperity in Nepal', 'sub_title' => '', 'summary' => 'Judy Hsu, CEO, Standard Chartered—Consumer, Private and Business Banking (CPBB), has said that women have a central role to play in driving commerce and prosperity in Nepal. ', 'content' => '<p>April 22: Judy Hsu, CEO, Standard Chartered—Consumer, Private and Business Banking (CPBB), has said that women have a central role to play in driving commerce and prosperity in Nepal. </p> <p>In a video address to the NewBiz Business Women Summit and Awards 2022 organized by New Business Age Pvt Ltd, the publishers of New Business Age monthly magazine and Aarthik Abhiyan National Daily, she shared initiatives of Standard Chartered in Nepal to support women entrepreneurship as part of its efforts to make a positive and lasting impact in the markets where it operate. </p> <p><img src="https://drive.google.com/uc?export=view&id=1HT_JlZkcmHxYWA5-zPPfWiV4aWnfCALy" /></p> <p>According to Hsu, Standard Chartered Bank Nepal Ltd is offering subsidized women entrepreneurship loans, which have seen a robust growth in the number of accounts opened over the last two years. She said that to promote employability for young women, Standard Chartered is embarking on a project with Plan International to equip young women with necessary skills and knowledge to be employed or self-employed. </p> <p>“To equip young girls with confidence and skills to be economic leaders in their families and communities, we have been running our flagship ‘Sports to Development’ programme in Nepal since 2020. We aim to engage 1,000 young girls in financial education and life-skill training,” she said. She said that Standard Chartered is also committed to promote gender equality at work and support women to take senior roles. “In fact, 40 percent of the board of directors of Standard Chartered Bank Nepal Ltd are female and the board is chaired by Zarin Daruwala, who is our cluster CEO of Standard Chartered’s India and South Asia markets,” she said.</p> ', 'published' => true, 'created' => '2022-04-22', 'modified' => '2022-04-24', 'keywords' => '', 'description' => '', 'sortorder' => '14893', 'image' => '20220422064332_Standard Chartered_.jpg', 'article_date' => '2022-04-22 18:00:11', 'homepage' => true, 'breaking_news' => false, 'main_news' => true, 'in_scroller' => false, 'user_id' => '35' ) ), (int) 8 => array( 'Article' => array( 'id' => '15150', 'article_category_id' => '273', 'title' => 'Panelists Call for Support to Women Entrepreneurs Hit by Covid-19', 'sub_title' => '', 'summary' => 'April 22: Business leaders have urged the government to provide support to women entrepreneurs affected by Covid-19.', 'content' => '<p><span style="font-size:16px"><span style="font-family:Calibri,"sans-serif""><span style="font-family:"Arial","sans-serif"">April 22: Business leaders have urged the government to provide support to women entrepreneurs affected by Covid-19. In a panel discussion organized as part of the NewBiz Business Women Summit and Awards 2022 by New Business Age Pvt Ltd, the publishers of New Business Age monthly magazine and Aarthik Abhiyan National Daily, panelists also highlighted the post-pandemic opportunities available for women entrepreneurs. Excerpts:</span></span></span></p> <p> </p> <p><span style="font-size:16px"><span style="font-family:Calibri,"sans-serif""><strong><span style="font-family:"Arial","sans-serif"">Mahalaxmi Shrestha, </span></strong><span style="font-family:"Arial","sans-serif"">General Secretary, FWEAN</span></span></span></p> <p><span style="font-size:16px"><span style="font-family:Calibri,"sans-serif""><span style="font-family:"Arial","sans-serif"">The pandemic was a major setback to most of the businesses. Many businesses were on the verge of closure. However, some entrepreneurs took this challenge as an opportunity. Digitalization played a vital role in it. Digital platform was the medium through which goods produced were sold in the market. Digital marketing flourished during the period.</span></span></span></p> <p><span style="font-size:16px"><span style="font-family:Calibri,"sans-serif""><span style="font-family:"Arial","sans-serif"">Digital marketing requires good photos of the product and the product’s packaging must also look good.</span></span></span></p> <p><span style="font-size:16px"><span style="font-family:Calibri,"sans-serif""><span style="font-family:"Arial","sans-serif"">The government had announced concessional loan amid the pandemic. However, there was information gap as many women were unaware of such concessional loan. There women were unaware how to access those concessional package.</span></span></span></p> <p><span style="font-size:16px"><span style="font-family:Calibri,"sans-serif""><span style="font-family:"Arial","sans-serif"">Another issue is the collateral free credit for women entrepreneurs. Many women affiliated to our association complain that banks seek collateral with them against the government policy. Therefore, this programme needs to be re-evaluated.</span></span></span></p> <p><span style="font-size:16px"><span style="font-family:Calibri,"sans-serif""> </span></span> <img src="https://drive.google.com/uc?export=view&id=1HT_JlZkcmHxYWA5-zPPfWiV4aWnfCALy" /></p> <p><span style="font-size:16px"><span style="font-family:Calibri,"sans-serif""><strong><span style="font-family:"Arial","sans-serif"">Pradhyuman Pokharel, </span></strong><span style="font-family:"Arial","sans-serif"">CEO, Muktinath Bikas Bank</span></span></span></p> <p><span style="font-size:16px"><span style="font-family:Calibri,"sans-serif""><span style="font-family:"Arial","sans-serif"">When we talk about women entrepreneurship, we need to consider three things, access to finance, access to knowledge and access to the market. It is not enough to just give loans and invest. It is necessary to give knowledge to women on how to do business, problems associated with their field of engagement, source to get raw materials, dangers surrounding the manufacture of products, how to sell the finished products, and if the business can be done with cash or credit as well. </span></span></span></p> <p><span style="font-size:16px"><span style="font-family:Calibri,"sans-serif""><span style="font-family:"Arial","sans-serif"">After all this, it is also mandatory to educate them about marketing of the products. Although the Covid-19 pandemic reduced the growth of credit extension this year, digitization came forth as its positive impact. In addition the creativity got sparked during the lockdown period and now people are able to think in a wide domain. As a result, we witnessed the widespread food delivery business with women's involvement.</span></span></span></p> <p><span style="font-size:16px"><span style="font-family:Calibri,"sans-serif""><span style="font-family:"Arial","sans-serif"">Digitization is difficult in the rural areas of Nepal as women in rural areas are not well aware of technical issues. Women in rural areas are not as aware as the women in urban areas. In addition, awareness is extremely crucial because women are unable to speak independently. With the facilitation of policies, and proper awareness, the ecosystem will be more favorable for women entrepreneurship.</span></span></span></p> <p> </p> <p><span style="font-size:16px"><span style="font-family:Calibri,"sans-serif""><strong><span style="font-family:"Arial","sans-serif"">Narayan Prasad Regmi, </span></strong><span style="font-family:"Arial","sans-serif"">Joint Secretary, Ministry of Industry, Commerce and Supplies </span></span></span></p> <p><span style="font-size:16px"><span style="font-family:Calibri,"sans-serif""><span style="font-family:"Arial","sans-serif"">Since women entrepreneurs were at the forefront of bearing the brunt of Covid-19, the government took three initiatives at the policy level. First, we brought refinancing and subsidized loan facilities for women entrepreneurs hit by the pandemic. We also introduced targeted programmes for women entrepreneurs to help them in finding and accessing markets and export their products by helping them register trademarks and patents. </span></span></span></p> <p><span style="font-size:16px"><span style="font-family:Calibri,"sans-serif""><span style="font-family:"Arial","sans-serif"">We also designed growth modality programmes for women enterprises. We took the Micro-Enterprise Development Programme (MEDEP) to all 753 local units toward helping women-led micro enterprises. </span></span></span></p> <p><span style="font-size:16px"><span style="font-family:Calibri,"sans-serif""><span style="font-family:"Arial","sans-serif"">Women entrepreneurs need support in every step of their overall entrepreneurship or business cycle. For that, the government is ready to provide such support. The priority should be on boosting mass production in the country. </span></span></span></p> <p><span style="font-size:16px"><span style="font-family:Calibri,"sans-serif""><span style="font-family:"Arial","sans-serif"">We are focused on promoting women entrepreneurs also in rural areas. The government has been providing a waiver on revenue for women entrepreneurs or registration of properties. But, that has not helped in increasing women’s role in decision making. We have taken the registration process of business to online system. There is a one-door system for registration of businesses. So, women do not need to visit the Department of Industry to register their businesses. Now, local-level governments register enterprises of certain capital. </span></span></span></p> <p> </p> <p><span style="font-size:16px"><span style="font-family:Calibri,"sans-serif""><strong><span style="font-family:"Arial","sans-serif"">Pranu Singh, </span></strong><span style="font-family:"Arial","sans-serif"">Head of Corporate affairs, Brand and Marketing, Standard Chartered Bank Nepal Limited</span></span></span></p> <p><span style="font-size:16px"><span style="font-family:Calibri,"sans-serif""><span style="font-family:"Arial","sans-serif"">There are separate policies and regulations for women entrepreneurs. Especially, the new financial literacy framework introduced recently is really impressive and we have already started working on it. But since there are many gaps in implementing the policies and regulations, making women entrepreneurs aware will of course fill up those gaps, but it is going to take some time. </span></span></span></p> <p><span style="font-size:16px"><span style="font-family:Calibri,"sans-serif""><span style="font-family:"Arial","sans-serif"">Digitization has definitely occurred but there are challenges everywhere. The beginning of everything starts from a family or community. When a woman expresses her interest towards entrepreneurship, the way her household treats is what matters. But there is the issue of mindset. For years the mindset has been shaped by the stereotype that men should go out to work and women should make a home. Not only in the rural areas, there are such gender biases in urban areas as well. It is a long process to change this mindset, but it is possible. It is necessary to start at the basic level and move step by step towards spreading awareness to the family on how to remove such biases. Women entrepreneurship is basically financial independence and hence awareness should be raised from the family level and organization level itself.</span></span></span></p> <p> </p> <p><span style="font-size:16px"><span style="font-family:Calibri,"sans-serif""><strong><span style="font-family:"Arial","sans-serif"">Dr Neelam Dhungana, </span></strong></span></span><span style="font-size:16px"><span style="font-family:Calibri,"sans-serif""><span style="font-family:"Arial","sans-serif"">Deputy Governor, Nepal Rastra Bank</span></span></span></p> <p><span style="font-size:16px"><span style="font-family:"Times New Roman","serif"">The entire economy was impacted due to the covid-19 pandemic. In the meantime, Nepal Rastra Bank brought different policies to encourage women entrepreneurs. Meanwhile, the central bank did a survey to study the impact of the pandemic in which it was found that only four percent of businesses were fully operating and 80 percent were partially closed. After the impact of coronavirus declined, around 82 percent of businesses have revived and this rate is increasing. </span></span></p> <p><span style="font-size:16px"><span style="font-family:"Times New Roman","serif"">The concessional loan scheme that the government and the central bank had brought to encourage women entrepreneurs, problems such as seeking collateral, target group not receiving the loan, men taking loans in the name of women were seen. Since the loan was not received by the target group, the objective was also not met. We have a high level coordination committee and we have concluded that the concessional loan procedure should be amended. </span></span></p> <p><span style="font-size:16px"><span style="font-family:"Times New Roman","serif"">Lack of ownership in the property is still a major problem for women entrepreneurs. As per the data of ministry of land management, women with land ownership has increased to 43 percent from 20 percent. However, it is very difficult for a woman to take loan even if she has land. So, women cannot take decisions, and it is men who ultimately take the decision. </span></span></p> <p><span style="font-size:16px"><span style="font-family:"Times New Roman","serif"">Besides, the troublesome and lengthy documentation process discourages women entrepreneurs. They also do not know how to write an effective business proposal, which is also a problem. In some cases, men have been misusing the loan in the name of women. The upcoming concessional loan procedure will address all these problems and work accordingly. </span></span><span style="font-size:16px"><span style="font-family:"Times New Roman","serif"">Women entrepreneurship is about financial independence.</span></span></p> ', 'published' => true, 'created' => '2022-04-22', 'modified' => '2022-04-24', 'keywords' => '', 'description' => '', 'sortorder' => '14892', 'image' => '20220422063211_IMG-20220422-WA0000.jpg', 'article_date' => '2022-04-22 18:40:19', 'homepage' => true, 'breaking_news' => false, 'main_news' => true, 'in_scroller' => false, 'user_id' => '34' ) ), (int) 9 => array( 'Article' => array( 'id' => '15149', 'article_category_id' => '273', 'title' => 'Standard Chartered NewBiz Business Women Summit and Awards 2022 Kicks Off', 'sub_title' => '', 'summary' => 'April 22: The Standard Chartered NewBiz Business Women Summit and Awards 2022 kicked off amid a special function in the capital on Thursday.', 'content' => '<p><span style="font-size:12pt"><span style="font-family:"Times New Roman","serif""><span style="font-size:13.5pt"><span style="font-family:"Calibri","sans-serif"">April 22: The Standard Chartered NewBiz Business Women Summit and Awards 2022 kicked off amid a special function in the capital on Thursday. The organizer New Business Age Pvt Ltd informed that 15 women entrepreneurs will be honored in 8 categories during the event.</span></span></span></span></p> <p><span style="font-size:12pt"><span style="font-family:"Times New Roman","serif""><span style="font-size:13.5pt"><span style="font-family:"Calibri","sans-serif"">Speaking at the inauguration of the awards ceremony, Sabita Subedi on behalf of the organisers, said that the awards ceremony would inspire others involved in women’s entrepreneurship. </span></span></span></span></p> <p><span style="font-size:12pt"><span style="font-family:"Times New Roman","serif""><span style="font-size:13.5pt"><span style="font-family:"Calibri","sans-serif"">“Women empowerment has been making rounds since a long time and it has achieved some success. However much more needs to be done. Let’s work hand in hands for entrepreneurship,” said NBA Director Subedi.</span></span></span></span></p> <p><img src="https://drive.google.com/uc?export=view&id=1HT_JlZkcmHxYWA5-zPPfWiV4aWnfCALy" /></p> <p><span style="font-size:12pt"><span style="font-family:"Times New Roman","serif""><span style="font-size:13.5pt"><span style="font-family:"Calibri","sans-serif"">New Business Age had organized various events across the country to promote women entrepreneurship in the run-up to the finale. The awards programme started with two women sharing their entrepreneurial journey. Following the programme, special interactive trainings in hybrid methods on financial literacy, entrepreneurship, time management and capacity development were held in Pokhara, Birgunj and Biratnagar. </span></span></span></span></p> <p><span style="font-size:12pt"><span style="font-family:"Times New Roman","serif""><span style="font-size:13.5pt"><span style="font-family:"Calibri","sans-serif"">NBA has been conducting such programmes to promote entrepreneurship and business since 2013. The programme to honor women entrepreneurs was initiated in 2021.</span></span></span></span></p> <p><span style="font-size:12pt"><span style="font-family:"Times New Roman","serif""><span style="font-size:13.5pt"><span style="font-family:"Calibri","sans-serif"">This year, the best seven women entrepreneurs from each province will also be honored with Rs 50,000 each. According to the organizers, the process of selecting women entrepreneurs for the honor had started since May last year. A jury comprising independent experts made the final selection of entrepreneurs from more than 2,000 women entrepreneurs.</span></span></span></span></p> <p><span style="font-size:12pt"><span style="font-family:"Times New Roman","serif""><span style="font-size:13.5pt"><span style="font-family:"Calibri","sans-serif"">Standard Chartered Bank is the main sponsor and Muktinath Bikas Bank Limited is the co-sponsor of the Summit and Awards to be held in Kathmandu on April 22. Likewise, the medical partner for the event is Star Hospital. Center for Leadership and Entrepreneurship is the knowledge partner, Turkish Airlines is the airlines partner, Daraz is the ecommerce partner, NECO Insurance Limited is the insurance partner and Dish Home FiberNet is the internet partner.</span></span></span></span></p> <p><span style="font-size:12pt"><span style="font-family:"Times New Roman","serif""><span style="font-size:13.5pt"><span style="font-family:"Calibri","sans-serif"">Similarly, the event is also supported by Agriculture Development Bank, Sipradi Trading, Reliable Life Insurance, Progressive Finance Limited, National Life Insurance, Federation of Women Entrepreneurs Association of Nepal (FWEAN), Federation of Nepalese Chambers of Commerce and Industry (FNCCI) and Nepal Rastra Bank.</span></span></span></span></p> ', 'published' => true, 'created' => '2022-04-22', 'modified' => '2022-04-24', 'keywords' => '', 'description' => '', 'sortorder' => '14891', 'image' => '20220422072813_New Business Age Summit and Awards.JPG', 'article_date' => '2022-04-22 16:46:46', 'homepage' => false, 'breaking_news' => false, 'main_news' => true, 'in_scroller' => false, 'user_id' => '34' ) ), (int) 10 => array( 'Article' => array( 'id' => '15148', 'article_category_id' => '236', 'title' => 'Nepal Starts Producing Electric Vehicles in the Country', 'sub_title' => '', 'summary' => 'April 22: Sundar Auto Engineering Pvt Ltd, a sister company of Sundar Transport Pvt Ltd, has started production of electric vehicles in Nepal.', 'content' => '<p><span style="font-size:12pt"><span style="font-family:"Times New Roman","serif"">April 22: Sundar Auto Engineering Pvt Ltd, a sister company of Sundar Transport Pvt Ltd, has started production of electric vehicles in Nepal. The company informed that it started the production of electric vehicles with the objective of reducing consumption of petroleum products by increasing the use of environment-friendly vehicles in Nepal.</span></span></p> <p><span style="font-size:12pt"><span style="font-family:"Times New Roman","serif"">Sundar Auto set up an assembly plant in Rupandehi district two years ago with an investment of around Rs 1 billion to produce electric vehicles in Nepal by importing spare parts from abroad. The company informed during a press conference organized in Kathmandu on Thursday that it succeeded in producing electric vehicles after a long period of tests. In the initial phase, the company will be producing all types of motorcycles, scooters and cars. </span></span></p> <p><span style="font-size:12pt"><span style="font-family:"Times New Roman","serif"">Bhesh Bahadur Thapa, operator of Sundar Yatayat Pvt Ltd, said that the company also installs electric engines on all kinds of vehicles powered by petrol and diesel.</span></span></p> <p><span style="font-size:12pt"><span style="font-family:"Times New Roman","serif"">He informed that it costs around Rs 70,000 to Rs 80,000 to add a new engine run by electric energy on a scooter or a motorcycle powered by fuel. The new engine will allow the vehicles run for 100 km. After the charge finishes, the vehicle will switch back to run with fuel. He said that it would cost Rs 120,000 to Rs 140,000 to add electric engine on a four-wheeler powered by fossil fuel.</span></span></p> <p><span style="font-size:12pt"><span style="font-family:"Times New Roman","serif"">Converting an old bike or scooter to electric vehicle is cost-effective in the long run.</span></span></p> <p><span style="font-size:12pt"><span style="font-family:"Times New Roman","serif"">Pandav Poudel, an engineer at Sundar Auto Engineering Pvt. Ltd. said, “A scooter or bike that runs a hundred kilometers costs Rs 450 on fuel. Converting it to electric can cover the same distance at just Rs 31 and help people save more than Rs 400. He informed that it takes three days to convert a fuel powered vehicle to an electricity powered vehicle. So far, the company converts only scooters, bikes and cars into electrical vehicles. Engineer Poudel informed that test work is being done in case of Hiace and big buses.</span></span></p> <p><span style="font-size:12pt"><span style="font-family:"Times New Roman","serif""><strong>Electric vehicles outside the valley</strong></span></span></p> <p><span style="font-size:12pt"><span style="font-family:"Times New Roman","serif"">Sundar Transport Pvt. Ltd. is going to operate electric vehicles outside the Kathmandu Valley as well. The company informed that it is preparing to run electric vehicles in major cities outside the Kathmandu Valley with the objective of providing transportation services at affordable prices in the face of increasing fuel prices.</span></span></p> <p><span style="font-size:12pt"><span style="font-family:"Times New Roman","serif"">Officials of the company said that they are preparing to run an electric bus from Kakadvitta of Jhapa to Biratnagar by April 28. Similarly, preparations are being made to run an electric bus from Bhandara of Chitwan to Nawalparasi by May 29. Sundar Transport is currently running electric bus in Kathmandu Valley.</span></span></p> <p> </p> ', 'published' => true, 'created' => '2022-04-22', 'modified' => '2022-04-22', 'keywords' => '', 'description' => '', 'sortorder' => '14890', 'image' => '20220422030631_electric-bikes-in-nepal.jpg', 'article_date' => '2022-04-22 15:05:33', 'homepage' => false, 'breaking_news' => false, 'main_news' => true, 'in_scroller' => null, 'user_id' => '34' ) ), (int) 11 => array( 'Article' => array( 'id' => '15147', 'article_category_id' => '277', 'title' => 'State Undermines Agriculture Sector: Experts', 'sub_title' => '', 'summary' => 'April 22: Experts have accused the government of undermining the agriculture sector of the country. ', 'content' => '<p><span style="font-size:12pt"><span style="font-family:"Times New Roman","serif"">April 22: Experts have accused the government of undermining the agriculture sector of the country. Due to the government’s apathy, economists say that the import of goods that are produced within the country has also increased while the fertile lands have been left barren.</span></span></p> <p><span style="font-size:12pt"><span style="font-family:"Times New Roman","serif"">Speaking at a program organized by the Nepal Intellectuals’ council on Thursday, former governor of Nepal Rastra Bank Dipendra Bahadur Chhetri said that it is unfortunate that agriculture sector is not even included in the national policy. Chhetri said, “In fact, the government has devalued the agricultural sector. It is not the fault of the present or any particular government; all the governments are responsible for the devaluation of the agricultural sector. On top of that, even the citizens have started living luxurious life. This has put a negative impact not only on the agricultural sector, but also on the economy as a whole.”</span></span></p> <p><span style="font-size:12pt"><span style="font-family:"Times New Roman","serif"">The former governor said that the agricultural sector should also be given special priority to solve the current problems seen in the economy of the country in the long run.</span></span></p> <p><span style="font-size:12pt"><span style="font-family:"Times New Roman","serif"">Another former governor, Dr Tilak Rawal also said that the government has not prioritized on agriculture. </span></span></p> <p><span style="font-size:12pt"><span style="font-family:"Times New Roman","serif"">“It is not possible to make a big revolution in the agricultural sector immediately. But the production of commodities like paddy, wheat and vegetables can be increased immediately. But the government is still unaware of this fact,” Rawal said, adding, “In the last 7/8 months, vegetables like potatoes and tomatoes worth more than Rs 11 billion were imported. We can produce such vegetables in the country itself. However, the government has not introduced any policy to address this issue.”</span></span></p> <p><span style="font-size:12pt"><span style="font-family:"Times New Roman","serif"">Rawal stated that the US-China trade war, the Covid-19 pandemic and Russia-Ukraine tensions have had a direct impact on Nepal's economy and that the government cannot be blamed. He said that imports should be tightened immediately to solve the current problems associated with the economy.</span></span></p> <p><span style="font-size:12pt"><span style="font-family:"Times New Roman","serif"">Meanwhile, former finance secretary Rameshwar Khanal said the state of Nepal's economy is not worrisome. However he acknowledged that is a crucial time for the state to become alert. Khanal said, “There is enough foreign exchange reserves to support six months of imports, which is enough in itself. Even if it goes down to 3 months, there is still no need to panic,” he added, “On top of that, our foreign debt repayment schedule is good. Just 3 percent of the annual revenue is enough to pay the installment. Therefore, it is unlikely that the country will reach the same state as Sri Lanka.”</span></span></p> <p><span style="font-size:12pt"><span style="font-family:"Times New Roman","serif"">Former Minister Pradip Gyawali said that the investors are losing trust in the private sector. He said, “There is no guarantee that the domestic investors are safe to invest in the country. As a result, the capital is being driven off. Also, the government lacks seriousness on this issue.”</span></span></p> <p> </p> ', 'published' => true, 'created' => '2022-04-22', 'modified' => '2022-04-22', 'keywords' => '', 'description' => '', 'sortorder' => '14889', 'image' => '20220422012326_Agri.jpg', 'article_date' => '2022-04-22 13:22:51', 'homepage' => false, 'breaking_news' => false, 'main_news' => true, 'in_scroller' => false, 'user_id' => '34' ) ), (int) 12 => array( 'Article' => array( 'id' => '15146', 'article_category_id' => '1', 'title' => 'Bara-Parsa Industrial Corridor Facing Power Cuts for 12 Hours a Day', 'sub_title' => '', 'summary' => 'April 22: Industries of Bara-Parsa corridor are facing an acute shortage of energy at the moment. ', 'content' => '<p><span style="font-size:11pt"><span style="font-family:Calibri,"sans-serif""><span style="font-size:12.0pt"><span style="font-family:"Times New Roman","serif"">April 22: Industries of Bara-Parsa corridor are facing an acute shortage of energy at the moment. The industrialists say that they are facing unannounced power cuts for 12 hours a day through the 66 kV transmission line of Nepal Electricity Authority (NEA).</span></span></span></span></p> <p><span style="font-size:11pt"><span style="font-family:Calibri,"sans-serif""><span style="font-size:12.0pt"><span style="font-family:"Times New Roman","serif"">Even though the NEA has declared Nepal free from load shedding, the industries here have been affected by the recent energy crisis.</span></span></span></span></p> <p><span style="font-size:11pt"><span style="font-family:Calibri,"sans-serif""><span style="font-size:12.0pt"><span style="font-family:"Times New Roman","serif"">The production of the industries has dropped to 25/30 per cent due to lack of regular supply of electricity.</span></span></span></span></p> <p><span style="font-size:11pt"><span style="font-family:Calibri,"sans-serif""><span style="font-size:12.0pt"><span style="font-family:"Times New Roman","serif"">“There is power cut for 10/12 hours every day. How is production possible in this way?” an industrialist complained. The supply of electricity to the industries from the NEA's 33 and 11 kV lines is disrupted comparatively less. The industrialists receiving electricity from 66 kV line are more affected.</span></span></span></span></p> <p><span style="font-size:11pt"><span style="font-family:Calibri,"sans-serif""><span style="font-size:12.0pt"><span style="font-family:"Times New Roman","serif"">Chairman of the Birgunj Chamber of Commerce and Industry Subodh Kumar Gupta said that the industries connected to the 66 kV line are experiencing load shedding for 12 hours a day and power tripping 5-6 times a day. Gupta said that there were problems in supply from other transmission lines as well.</span></span></span></span></p> <p><span style="font-size:11pt"><span style="font-family:Calibri,"sans-serif""><span style="font-size:12.0pt"><span style="font-family:"Times New Roman","serif"">"In the last few years, the industries had increased their production capacity due to the easy supply of electricity. But now, they are facing problems due to lack of energy. The industries in this corridor, which is facing energy problems, are now operating at 25-30 per cent of their capacity,” said Gupta.</span></span></span></span></p> <p><span style="font-size:11pt"><span style="font-family:Calibri,"sans-serif""><span style="font-size:12.0pt"><span style="font-family:"Times New Roman","serif"">Suresh Bhattarai, head of the NEA's grid operation department, claims that the current energy shortage is short-lived. According to Bhattarai, Nepal has also been affected by the global energy crisis following Ukraine’s invasion by Russia. </span></span></span></span></p> <p><span style="font-size:11pt"><span style="font-family:Calibri,"sans-serif""><span style="font-size:12.0pt"><span style="font-family:"Times New Roman","serif"">NEA insists that the problem of power cuts is due to excessive load. Bhattarai said that the supply could be disrupted in the future even if there is enough energy if the planned 132 to 400 kV transmission line is not constructed soon.</span></span></span></span></p> <p><span style="font-size:11pt"><span style="font-family:Calibri,"sans-serif""><span style="font-size:12.0pt"><span style="font-family:"Times New Roman","serif"">NEA Birgunj Distribution Center Chief Jitendra Kumar Jha also said that the problem in supply of electricity is mainly due to excessive load in the transmission line.</span></span></span></span></p> <p><span style="font-size:11pt"><span style="font-family:Calibri,"sans-serif""><span style="font-size:12.0pt"><span style="font-family:"Times New Roman","serif"">He said that the Parwanipur-Raxaul 132 kV transmission line has been experiencing frequent power outages due to high load.</span></span></span></span></p> <p><span style="font-size:11pt"><span style="font-family:Calibri,"sans-serif""><span style="font-size:12.0pt"><span style="font-family:"Times New Roman","serif"">Most of the industries in the Bara-Parsa corridor are being supplied electricity from India through this transmission line. About 90 MW of electricity consumed in the corridor comes from this line.</span></span></span></span></p> <p><span style="font-size:11pt"><span style="font-family:Calibri,"sans-serif""><span style="font-size:12.0pt"><span style="font-family:"Times New Roman","serif"">According to Bhattarai, NEA has started construction of additional 132 KV transmission lines in Parwanipur-Raxaul, 400 KV Hetauda-Dhalkebar, 400 KV Hetauda-Inaruwa and 200 KV Hetauda-Bardaghat transmission lines.</span></span></span></span></p> <p><span style="font-size:11pt"><span style="font-family:Calibri,"sans-serif""><span style="font-size:12.0pt"><span style="font-family:"Times New Roman","serif"">Industrialists say that the raw material of industrial establishments get wasted due to frequent power cuts, and electricity tariff is also rising. It has led to an increase in production costs and decline in quality, they say.</span></span></span></span></p> <p> </p> <p><span style="font-size:11pt"><span style="font-family:Calibri,"sans-serif""> </span></span></p> <p> </p> ', 'published' => true, 'created' => '2022-04-22', 'modified' => '2022-04-22', 'keywords' => '', 'description' => '', 'sortorder' => '14888', 'image' => '20220422115047_ffff.jpg', 'article_date' => '2022-04-22 11:50:08', 'homepage' => false, 'breaking_news' => false, 'main_news' => true, 'in_scroller' => false, 'user_id' => '34' ) ), (int) 13 => array( 'Article' => array( 'id' => '15145', 'article_category_id' => '273', 'title' => 'Standard Chartered NewBiz Business Women Summit and Awards 2022 Today', 'sub_title' => '', 'summary' => 'April 21: The final countdown of the Standard Chartered NewBiz Business Women Summit and Awards 2022 will begin at 3 pm today afternoon amid a special function in the capital. ', 'content' => '<p><span style="font-size:12pt"><span style="font-family:"Times New Roman","serif""><span style="font-size:13.5pt"><span style="font-family:"Calibri","sans-serif"">April 21: The final countdown of the Standard Chartered NewBiz Business Women Summit and Awards 2022 will begin at 3 pm today afternoon amid a special function in the capital. The organizer New Business Age Pvt. Ltd. informed that the best 15 women in 8 categories will be honored during the event.</span></span></span></span></p> <p><span style="font-size:12pt"><span style="font-family:"Times New Roman","serif""><span style="font-size:13.5pt"><span style="font-family:"Calibri","sans-serif"">New Business Age had organized various events across the country to promote women entrepreneurship in the run-up to the finale. The awards programme started with two women sharing their entrepreneurial journey. Following the programme, special interactive trainings in hybrid methods on financial literacy, entrepreneurship, time management and capacity development were held in Pokhara, Birgunj and Biratnagar. </span></span></span></span></p> <p><img src="https://drive.google.com/uc?export=view&id=1HT_JlZkcmHxYWA5-zPPfWiV4aWnfCALy" /></p> <p><span style="font-size:12pt"><span style="font-family:"Times New Roman","serif""><span style="font-size:13.5pt"><span style="font-family:"Calibri","sans-serif"">NBA has been conducting such programmes to promote entrepreneurship and business since 2013. The programme to honor women entrepreneurs was initiated in 2021.</span></span></span></span></p> <p><span style="font-size:12pt"><span style="font-family:"Times New Roman","serif""><span style="font-size:13.5pt"><span style="font-family:"Calibri","sans-serif"">This year, the best seven women entrepreneurs from each province will also be honored with Rs 50,000 each. According to the organizers, the process of selecting women entrepreneurs for the honor had started since May last year. A jury comprising independent experts made the final selection of entrepreneurs from more than 2,000 women entrepreneurs.</span></span></span></span></p> <p><span style="font-size:12pt"><span style="font-family:"Times New Roman","serif""><span style="font-size:13.5pt"><span style="font-family:"Calibri","sans-serif"">Standard Chartered Bank is the main sponsor and Muktinath Bikas Bank Limited is the co-sponsor of the Summit and Awards to be held in Kathmandu on April 22. Likewise, the medical partner for the event is Star Hospital. Center for Leadership and Entrepreneurship is the knowledge partner, Turkish Airlines is the airlines partner, Daraz is the ecommerce partner, NECO Insurance Limited is the insurance partner and Dish Home FiberNet is the internet partner.</span></span></span></span></p> <p><span style="font-size:12pt"><span style="font-family:"Times New Roman","serif""><span style="font-size:13.5pt"><span style="font-family:"Calibri","sans-serif"">Similarly, the event is also supported by Agriculture Development Bank, Sipradi Trading, Reliable Life Insurance, Progressive Finance Limited, National Life Insurance, Federation of Women Entrepreneurs Association of Nepal (FWEAN), Federation of Nepalese Chambers of Commerce and Industry (FNCCI) and Nepal Rastra Bank.</span></span></span></span></p> ', 'published' => true, 'created' => '2022-04-22', 'modified' => '2022-04-24', 'keywords' => '', 'description' => '', 'sortorder' => '14887', 'image' => '20220422112228_20220421010649_1650496679.3.jpg', 'article_date' => '2022-04-22 11:21:46', 'homepage' => false, 'breaking_news' => false, 'main_news' => true, 'in_scroller' => false, 'user_id' => '34' ) ), (int) 14 => array( 'Article' => array( 'id' => '15144', 'article_category_id' => '270', 'title' => 'Chinese Ambassador Assures to Help Nepal Export its Products to China ', 'sub_title' => '', 'summary' => 'April 21: Chinese Ambassador to Nepal, Hou Yanqi, has assured of helping Nepal to export its products to China. ', 'content' => '<p><span style="font-size:11pt"><span style="font-family:Calibri,"sans-serif""><span style="font-family:"Arial Unicode MS","sans-serif"">April 21: Chinese Ambassador to Nepal, Hou Yanqi, has assured of helping Nepal to export its products to China. </span><br /> <span style="font-family:"Arial Unicode MS","sans-serif"">Addressing a press meet through virtual means on Thursday, the Chinese Ambassador shared that her country has given high importance to the Nepal's request to resume export to China from the dry port. </span><br /> <span style="font-family:"Arial Unicode MS","sans-serif"">She opined that the officials of the concerned bodies, neighbouring provinces and border dry ports of both sides have been communicating and coordinating to this end. </span><br /> <span style="font-family:"Arial Unicode MS","sans-serif"">Expressing her belief that collaboration between Nepal and China would gain momentum once Nepal's economy and society return to normalcy after COVID-19 pandemic, the Chinese Ambassador said that she was confident that Nepali side would help create free and transparent trade environment, to fully protect the legitimate rights and interest of Chinese enterprises and to resolve their practical problems. </span><br /> <span style="font-family:"Arial Unicode MS","sans-serif"">Responding to queries on resuming direct flights between Nepal and China and facilitating Nepali students to return back to China for higher studies, the ambassador said, “The return of students to schools after the pandemic has remained as a general issue internationally. And, the direct flight between Nepal and China was suspended following the announcement of the Government of Nepal to suspend its international flights as preventive measures against pandemic and the suspension continues till date.” </span><br /> <span style="font-family:"Arial Unicode MS","sans-serif"">Making it clear that the Belt and Road Initiative (BRI) was never a geopolitical strategy, the Chinese ambassador said it is, instead, a project for taking Nepal-like developing countries towards the path of sustainable development and helping promote shared prosperity. -- RSS </span></span></span></p> ', 'published' => true, 'created' => '2022-04-21', 'modified' => '2022-04-21', 'keywords' => '', 'description' => '', 'sortorder' => '14886', 'image' => '20220421055547_131620360_210452010584844_6192150950891783236_n.jpg', 'article_date' => '2022-04-21 17:54:55', 'homepage' => false, 'breaking_news' => false, 'main_news' => true, 'in_scroller' => false, 'user_id' => '34' ) ) ) $current_user = null $logged_in = falsesimplexml_load_file - [internal], line ?? include - APP/View/Elements/side_bar.ctp, line 60 View::_evaluate() - CORE/Cake/View/View.php, line 971 View::_render() - CORE/Cake/View/View.php, line 933 View::_renderElement() - CORE/Cake/View/View.php, line 1224 View::element() - CORE/Cake/View/View.php, line 418 include - APP/View/Articles/index.ctp, line 157 View::_evaluate() - CORE/Cake/View/View.php, line 971 View::_render() - CORE/Cake/View/View.php, line 933 View::render() - CORE/Cake/View/View.php, line 473 Controller::render() - CORE/Cake/Controller/Controller.php, line 968 Dispatcher::_invoke() - CORE/Cake/Routing/Dispatcher.php, line 200 Dispatcher::dispatch() - CORE/Cake/Routing/Dispatcher.php, line 167 [main] - APP/webroot/index.php, line 117
Notice (8): Undefined variable: file [APP/View/Elements/side_bar.ctp, line 133]Code Context// $file = 'http://aabhiyan:QUVLg8Wzs2F7G9N7@nepalstock.com.np/api/subindexdata.xml';if(!$xml = simplexml_load_file($file)){$viewFile = '/var/www/html/newbusinessage.com/app/View/Elements/side_bar.ctp' $dataForView = array( 'articles' => array( (int) 0 => array( 'Article' => array( [maximum depth reached] ) ), (int) 1 => array( 'Article' => array( [maximum depth reached] ) ), (int) 2 => array( 'Article' => array( [maximum depth reached] ) ), (int) 3 => array( 'Article' => array( [maximum depth reached] ) ), (int) 4 => array( 'Article' => array( [maximum depth reached] ) ), (int) 5 => array( 'Article' => array( [maximum depth reached] ) ), (int) 6 => array( 'Article' => array( [maximum depth reached] ) ), (int) 7 => array( 'Article' => array( [maximum depth reached] ) ), (int) 8 => array( 'Article' => array( [maximum depth reached] ) ), (int) 9 => array( 'Article' => array( [maximum depth reached] ) ), (int) 10 => array( 'Article' => array( [maximum depth reached] ) ), (int) 11 => array( 'Article' => array( [maximum depth reached] ) ), (int) 12 => array( 'Article' => array( [maximum depth reached] ) ), (int) 13 => array( 'Article' => array( [maximum depth reached] ) ), (int) 14 => array( 'Article' => array( [maximum depth reached] ) ) ), 'current_user' => null, 'logged_in' => false ) $articles = array( (int) 0 => array( 'Article' => array( 'id' => '15158', 'article_category_id' => '239', 'title' => 'Tourism Activities Increasing in Mustang', 'sub_title' => '', 'summary' => 'April 24: Tourism activities have increased in Mustang. Tourism activities which had slowed down due to Covid-19, is picking up pace again.', 'content' => '<p><span style="font-size:11pt"><span style="font-family:Calibri,"sans-serif""><span style="font-size:12.0pt"><span style="font-family:"Arial","sans-serif"">April 24: Tourism activities have increased in Mustang. Tourism activities which had slowed down due to Covid-19, is picking up pace again. For the past few days, the number of tourists going to and from Mustang via Myagdi has increased along the Beni-Jomsom road.</span></span></span></span></p> <p><span style="font-size:11pt"><span style="font-family:Calibri,"sans-serif""><span style="font-size:12.0pt"><span style="font-family:"Arial","sans-serif"">Rishi Baral, head of the Annapurna Conservation Area Project (ACAP) at Jomsom, said that the arrival of domestic tourists has increased while foreign tourists have also started visiting Mustang. </span></span></span></span></p> <p><span style="font-size:11pt"><span style="font-family:Calibri,"sans-serif""><span style="font-size:12.0pt"><span style="font-family:"Arial","sans-serif"">"The number of foreign tourists visiting Mustang by road and air has increased," he said.</span></span></span></span></p> <p><span style="font-size:11pt"><span style="font-family:Calibri,"sans-serif""><span style="font-size:12.0pt"><span style="font-family:"Arial","sans-serif"">According to the District Traffic Police Office, 50 buses, 150 jeeps and 200 tourist vehicles enter Mustang daily through Myagdi.</span></span></span></span></p> <p><span style="font-size:11pt"><span style="font-family:Calibri,"sans-serif""><span style="font-size:12.0pt"><span style="font-family:"Arial","sans-serif"">Police Chief Indra Bahadur Nepali said that the Border Police Post at Kalipul Post and Bhurung Tatopani in Beni keep records of vehicles entering and leaving Mustang.</span></span></span></span></p> <p><span style="font-size:11pt"><span style="font-family:Calibri,"sans-serif""><span style="font-size:12.0pt"><span style="font-family:"Arial","sans-serif"">Access to vaccines against Covid-19 has led to a decline in infection rate, while the lifting of restrictions on tourist sites and favorable weather have led to increase in number of tourists.</span></span></span></span></p> <p><span style="font-size:11pt"><span style="font-family:Calibri,"sans-serif""><span style="font-size:12.0pt"><span style="font-family:"Arial","sans-serif"">Tourists are flocking to Muktinath Temple, Kagbeni, Korala, Lo-Manthang, Jomsom, Dhumwa Lake and Lete. </span></span></span></span></p> <p><span style="font-size:11pt"><span style="font-family:Calibri,"sans-serif""><span style="font-size:12.0pt"><span style="font-family:"Arial","sans-serif"">Samjhana Thakali, a resident of Jomsom, said that those visiting the area include mothers’ group, forest users’ group, club members, cooperatives and students for educational purpose.</span></span></span></span></p> <p><span style="font-size:11pt"><span style="font-family:Calibri,"sans-serif""><span style="font-size:12.0pt"><span style="font-family:"Arial","sans-serif"">The road in Mustang has reached up to Korala pass on the Chinese border. The easy access to transportation has made travel costs cheaper and time shorter.</span></span></span></span></p> <p><span style="font-size:11pt"><span style="font-family:Calibri,"sans-serif""><span style="font-size:12.0pt"><span style="font-family:"Arial","sans-serif"">Tourism activities in Mustang has been stagnant for the last two years since the outbreak of the Covid-19 in April 2020. Hotels and restaurants opened with millions of investment were slowed down due to lack of tourists. Entrepreneurs hope that the hotel business will return to its old rhythm with the increase in tourism activities.</span></span></span></span></p> <p><span style="font-size:11pt"><span style="font-family:Calibri,"sans-serif""><span style="font-size:12.0pt"><span style="font-family:"Arial","sans-serif"">Baburam Acharya, district president of the Hotel and Restaurant Entrepreneurs' Association, said that the businessmen of Myagdi were also relieved by the increasing movement of tourists going to and from Mustang.</span></span></span></span></p> <p> </p> ', 'published' => true, 'created' => '2022-04-24', 'modified' => '2022-04-24', 'keywords' => '', 'description' => '', 'sortorder' => '14900', 'image' => '20220424035529_istockphoto-534638391-612x612.jpg', 'article_date' => '2022-04-24 15:49:34', 'homepage' => false, 'breaking_news' => false, 'main_news' => true, 'in_scroller' => false, 'user_id' => '34' ) ), (int) 1 => array( 'Article' => array( 'id' => '15157', 'article_category_id' => '277', 'title' => 'Agriculture Sector needs Encouragement not Donation: Finance Minister ', 'sub_title' => '', 'summary' => 'April 24: Finance Minister Janardan Sharma has said that the agriculture sector needs encouragement, not grants in the budget of the upcoming fiscal year. ', 'content' => '<p><span style="font-size:12pt"><span style="font-family:"Times New Roman","serif"">April 24: Finance Minister Janardan Sharma has said that the agriculture sector needs encouragement, not grants in the budget of the upcoming fiscal year. During an interaction with the Ministry of Agriculture and Livestock Development on Friday to discuss the upcoming budget as well as policies and programmes of the government, Finance Minister Sharma suggested not to use the word grant as the agriculture sector needs encouragement. </span></span></p> <p><span style="font-size:12pt"><span style="font-family:"Times New Roman","serif"">"When making the budget for the upcoming year, don't use the word subsidy in agriculture, remove it," he said. He said that it was important to reward the farmers on the basis of productivity.</span></span></p> <p><span style="font-size:12pt"><span style="font-family:"Times New Roman","serif"">Minister Sharma gave such instructions after Prakash Sanjel, Joint Secretary and Spokesperson of the Ministry of Agriculture, raised the issue of agricultural subsidy in the proposed program for the coming years. </span></span></p> <p><span style="font-size:12pt"><span style="font-family:"Times New Roman","serif"">The National Planning Commission has proposed a budget ceiling of Rs 42.73 billion for the Ministry of Agriculture for the upcoming fiscal year. The ministry has said that it will propose programmes within the budget limit. In the current fiscal year, only 2.5 percent of the total budget has been allocated for the agriculture sector and the average growth rate of agriculture and livestock has been 3 percent in the last ten years, according to the Ministry of Agriculture. </span></span></p> <p><span style="font-size:12pt"><span style="font-family:"Times New Roman","serif"">During the interaction, Finance Minister Sharma complained that there was a delay in setting up quarantine at the border despite repeated instructions. </span></span></p> <p><span style="font-size:12pt"><span style="font-family:"Times New Roman","serif"">He instructed to carry out examination of imported agricultural produce and food items and also to ensure quantity of pesticides and the condition of labeling etc. He directed to increase the production by distributing improved varieties of seeds to the farmers who are preparing to plant paddy in June-July. "Distribute seeds of high quality of paddy to the farmers immediately. We will provide some budget if needed for this," he said. “Imports should be reduced by increasing paddy production as soon as possible." </span></span></p> <p> </p> ', 'published' => true, 'created' => '2022-04-24', 'modified' => '2022-04-24', 'keywords' => '', 'description' => '', 'sortorder' => '14899', 'image' => '20220424034134_agri maize.jpg', 'article_date' => '2022-04-24 15:40:56', 'homepage' => false, 'breaking_news' => false, 'main_news' => true, 'in_scroller' => null, 'user_id' => '34' ) ), (int) 2 => array( 'Article' => array( 'id' => '15156', 'article_category_id' => '1', 'title' => 'More Investment needed to make Nepal Self-reliant in Medicines', 'sub_title' => '', 'summary' => 'April 24: President Bidya Devi Bhandari has stated that more investment is necessary to make the country self-reliant in medicines. ', 'content' => '<p><span style="font-size:12pt"><span style="font-family:"Times New Roman","serif"">April 24: President Bidya Devi Bhandari has stated that more investment is necessary to make the country self-reliant in medicines. Inaugurating the 'Nepal Pharma Expo 2022' at the Chitwan Expo Center in Bharatpur on Friday, she emphasized on the need to produce the medicines needed in the country within the country itself. She also highlighted the need to promote commercial farming of medicinal herbs in the country to attain the target.</span></span></p> <p><span style="font-size:12pt"><span style="font-family:"Times New Roman","serif"">President Bhandari said, “During the Covid-19 pandemic, we faced the challenge of drug shortage. Which is why, it is necessary to increase investment in drug production and manage the supply chain. To obtain this, emphasis should be given to domestic production of medicinal herbs.” The president stressed that the state should coordinate with the private sector to make the country self-reliant in medicine.</span></span></p> <p><span style="font-size:12pt"><span style="font-family:"Times New Roman","serif"">Speaking on the occasion, Shekhar Golchha, president of the Federation of Nepalese Chambers of Commerce and Industry (FNCCI), stated that there are problems in the country in the sectors like import and export, interest of banks and others. He said that the government should bring industry-friendly policy to get rid of the existing problems. Stating that Covid-19 taught a lot to Nepali people, he pointed out the need to make the country self-reliant in medicine as well.</span></span></p> <p><span style="font-size:12pt"><span style="font-family:"Times New Roman","serif"">President of Nepal Medical Association Dr. Lochan Karki said that the role of medicine is critical to keep Nepali citizens healthy.</span></span></p> <p><span style="font-size:12pt"><span style="font-family:"Times New Roman","serif"">Meanwhile, the Deputy Chairman of the National Planning Commission Dr. Biswo Nath Poudel said that the government is ready to help the pharmaceutical industry. He made such remarks at an interaction program on 'Possibilities and Challenges of Pharmaceutical Production in Nepal' held during the second day of the expo on Saturday.</span></span></p> <p><span style="font-size:12pt"><span style="font-family:"Times New Roman","serif""> “Increase in drug production helps reduce imports. We are ready to help,” he said adding that it is time to increase the production of export-oriented goods, pointing at the declining foreign exchange reserves of Nepal.</span></span></p> <p><span style="font-size:12pt"><span style="font-family:"Times New Roman","serif"">Spokesperson of the Department of Drug Management Santosh KC remarked that foreign investment is also needed to make the country self-reliant in medicine by increasing the production of drugs. He also emphasized on the need to increase the production of essential medicines in Nepal. Speaking on the occasion, former president of the association, Deepak Prasad Dahal said that Nepal is capable of producing quality and essential medicines, and pointed out that the Drugs Act of 2035 BS should be amended.</span></span></p> <p> </p> ', 'published' => true, 'created' => '2022-04-24', 'modified' => '2022-04-24', 'keywords' => '', 'description' => '', 'sortorder' => '14898', 'image' => '20220424030239_18016929_101.jpg', 'article_date' => '2022-04-24 15:02:03', 'homepage' => false, 'breaking_news' => false, 'main_news' => true, 'in_scroller' => false, 'user_id' => '34' ) ), (int) 3 => array( 'Article' => array( 'id' => '15155', 'article_category_id' => '1', 'title' => 'Water Supply from Melamchi Resumes from Today ', 'sub_title' => '', 'summary' => 'April 24: The residents of Kathmandu Valley finally have access to drinking water from Melamchi almost a year after the supply has halted due to natural disasters.', 'content' => '<p><span style="font-size:12pt"><span style="font-family:"Times New Roman","serif"">April 24: The residents of Kathmandu Valley finally have access to drinking water from Melamchi almost a year after the supply has halted due to natural disasters as well as other technical reasons.</span></span></p> <p><span style="font-size:12pt"><span style="font-family:"Times New Roman","serif"">The distribution of drinking water started today (April 24) after the structures damaged by flood last year’s floods were repaired. The supply of water resumed after Minister for Drinking Water Umakanta Chaudhary inaugurated the water tank at Min Bhawan in Kathmandu on Sunday morning.</span></span></p> <p><span style="font-size:12pt"><span style="font-family:"Times New Roman","serif"">Water supply from Melamchi was halted last May. After the repairs and reconstruction of the damaged structure, Kathmandu Upatyaka Khanepani Limited (KUKL) started distributing the drinking water to the taps from Sunday.</span></span></p> <p><span style="font-size:12pt"><span style="font-family:"Times New Roman","serif"">The Ministry of Water Supply initiated the repair of the diversion of the pathway for water supply to Kathmandu from April after completing the maintenance and cleaning work of the project. Water from Melamchi is distributed in the Kathmandu valley via new as well as old taps as well.</span></span></p> <p><span style="font-size:12pt"><span style="font-family:"Times New Roman","serif"">Water will soon be distributed in areas including Min Bhawan, Baneshwor, Thapathali, Mahankal (Chabahil), Anamnagar and other places. Meanwhile, water distribution has already started in Kirtipur, Khumaltar, Bode of Bhaktapur, Swayambhu, Balaju, Naya Bazaar, Kalimati, Maharajgunj and other areas starting today.</span></span></p> <p><span style="font-size:12pt"><span style="font-family:"Times New Roman","serif"">The government had announced to distribute drinking water from Melamchi to the people of the valley by mid-April. KUKL is distributing water after 10 days of announcement. After decades of construction, KUKL had started distributing water from Melamchi in the Kathmandu Valley on March 28, 2021. But at that time, distribution of drinking water had started as a test. </span></span></p> <p><span style="font-size:12pt"><span style="font-family:"Times New Roman","serif"">Spokesperson of the Melamchi Water Supply Development Committee Rajendra Prasad Pant informed that water was already been brought to Sundarijal of Kathmandu from the temporary structure and water distribution was possible since Sunday as the 27 km long tunnel was filled on Friday itself.</span></span></p> <p><span style="font-size:12pt"><span style="font-family:"Times New Roman","serif"">Altogether 170 million liters of water will be distributed daily in Kathmandu Valley. The project has been built with an investment of Rs 30 billion. In addition, floods and landslides from mid-June to mid-August caused a loss of Rs. 360 million.</span></span></p> <p> </p> ', 'published' => true, 'created' => '2022-04-24', 'modified' => '2022-04-24', 'keywords' => '', 'description' => '', 'sortorder' => '14897', 'image' => '20220424011204_Melamchi.jpg', 'article_date' => '2022-04-24 13:11:09', 'homepage' => false, 'breaking_news' => false, 'main_news' => true, 'in_scroller' => false, 'user_id' => '34' ) ), (int) 4 => array( 'Article' => array( 'id' => '15154', 'article_category_id' => '239', 'title' => 'Tourist Arrival on the rise in Langtang National Park', 'sub_title' => '', 'summary' => 'April 24: With the onset of spring season and the decline in number of Covid-19 cases, the number of domestic and foreign tourists visiting Langtang National Park in Rasuwa has increased significantly. ', 'content' => '<p><span style="font-size:11pt"><span style="font-family:Calibri,"sans-serif""><span style="font-family:"Arial Unicode MS","sans-serif"">April 24: With the onset of spring season and the decline in number of Covid-19 cases, the number of domestic and foreign tourists visiting Langtang National Park in Rasuwa has increased significantly. </span><br /> <span style="font-family:"Arial Unicode MS","sans-serif"">According to the Chief Conservation Officer of Langtang National Park, Pramod Bhattarai, around 100 domestic and more than 20 foreign tourists have been arriving on a daily basis in Langtang and the Gosainkunda lake located in the upper region of Rasuwa. </span><br /> <span style="font-family:"Arial Unicode MS","sans-serif"">Majority of the domestic tourists opt to visit the holy shrine of Gosainkunda while foreign tourists have been visiting the Langtang valley for trekking in the surrounding mountains, the state-owned national news agency RSS quoted Bhattarai as saying. </span><br /> <span style="font-family:"Arial Unicode MS","sans-serif"">According to RSS, hotelier Pasang Ghurmi Tamang of Chandanbari shared that the Gosaikunda pilgrimage route has become more vibrant after the tourists started flocking to the otherwise deserted area. Hoteliers say that there is hope for economic recovery as the number of visitors continues to increase. </span><br /> <span style="font-family:"Arial Unicode MS","sans-serif"">Apart from travelling by land, the attraction of devotees visiting Gosainkund by air is also increasing. The helicopter facility has made it easier for the senior citizens, who are unable to walk on foot, to visit this holy shrine, said a local priest Tanka Prasad Dhakal. </span></span></span><br /> </p> ', 'published' => true, 'created' => '2022-04-24', 'modified' => '2022-04-24', 'keywords' => '', 'description' => '', 'sortorder' => '14896', 'image' => '20220424110255_Tourist Arrival (1).jpeg', 'article_date' => '2022-04-24 11:02:17', 'homepage' => false, 'breaking_news' => false, 'main_news' => true, 'in_scroller' => false, 'user_id' => '34' ) ), (int) 5 => array( 'Article' => array( 'id' => '15153', 'article_category_id' => '228', 'title' => 'Jazeera Airlines to Make First International Flight to GBIA on May 16 ', 'sub_title' => '', 'summary' => 'April 24: Jazeera Airlines will be the first airlines company to make the debut international flight to the newly opened Gautam Buddha International Airport in Bhairahawa. ', 'content' => '<p><span style="font-size:11pt"><span style="font-family:Calibri,"sans-serif""><span style="font-family:"Arial Unicode MS","sans-serif"">April 24: Jazeera Airlines will be the first airlines company to make the debut international flight to the newly opened Gautam Buddha International Airport in Bhairahawa. </span><br /> <span style="font-family:"Arial Unicode MS","sans-serif"">The airport came into operation on Thursday. Jazeera Air will fly a narrow-body aircraft with a capacity of 278 passengers from Kuwait to Bhairahawa on the day of Buddha Jayanti on May 16, according to Civil Aviation Authority of Nepal. </span><br /> <span style="font-family:"Arial Unicode MS","sans-serif"">It will return the next day with passengers from Nepal to Kuwait. The airlines will then fly regularly to Bhairahawa three days a week on Monday, Wednesday and Friday. </span><br /> <span style="font-family:"Arial Unicode MS","sans-serif"">General Manager of the international airport, Govinda Dahal, said for now the international flights are scheduled for the night to manage the air traffic congestion caused due to a single runway. </span><br /> <span style="font-family:"Arial Unicode MS","sans-serif"">Director General of CAAN Pradip Adhikari said that the landing at Gautam Buddha International Airport in Bhairahawa is expected to be smooth as there is a 3,500-meter long runway that can accommodate five international flights at a time. </span><br /> <span style="font-family:"Arial Unicode MS","sans-serif"">Air traffic at the Tribhuvan International Airport in Kathmandu is expected to decrease with the operation of the new international airport in Bhairahawa. -- RSS </span></span></span></p> ', 'published' => true, 'created' => '2022-04-24', 'modified' => '2022-04-24', 'keywords' => '', 'description' => '', 'sortorder' => '14895', 'image' => '20220424105929_Jazeera Airways A320neo 2.jpg', 'article_date' => '2022-04-24 10:58:37', 'homepage' => false, 'breaking_news' => false, 'main_news' => true, 'in_scroller' => false, 'user_id' => '34' ) ), (int) 6 => array( 'Article' => array( 'id' => '15152', 'article_category_id' => '273', 'title' => 'Jawalakhel Group’s Maggie Shah Honored with Lifetime Achievement Award', 'sub_title' => '14 Women Entrepreneurs felicitated in NewBiz Business Women Summit and Awards 2022', 'summary' => 'April 22: Maggie Shah of Jawalakhel Group of Industries (JGI) has been honored with the Lifetime Achievement Award during the NewBiz Business Women Summit and Awards 2022 in recognition of her contribution to the Nepali business sector for over four decades.', 'content' => '<p><span style="font-size:11pt"><span style="font-family:Calibri,"sans-serif""><span style="font-size:12.0pt"><span style="font-family:"Times New Roman","serif"">April 22: Maggie Shah of Jawalakhel Group of Industries (JGI) has been honored with the Lifetime Achievement Award during the NewBiz Business Women Summit and Awards 2022 in recognition of her contribution to the Nepali business sector for over </span></span><span style="font-size:12.0pt"><span style="font-family:"Times New Roman","serif"">four decades.</span></span></span></span></p> <p><span style="font-size:11pt"><span style="font-family:Calibri,"sans-serif""><span style="font-size:12.0pt"><span style="font-family:"Times New Roman","serif"">Shah was felicitated with the lifetime achievement award during the event organized by </span></span><span style="font-size:12.0pt"><span style="font-family:"Times New Roman","serif"">New Business Age Pvt Ltd, the publishers of New Business Age monthly magazine and Aarthik Abhiyan National Daily. Standard Chartered Bank Nepal’s CEO Anirvan Ghosh Dastidar, National Planning Commission’s Vice Chairman Biswo Nath Poudel and New Business Age’s Chairman Madan Lamsal jointly handed over the award to Shah. </span></span></span></span></p> <p><img src="https://drive.google.com/uc?export=view&id=1HT_JlZkcmHxYWA5-zPPfWiV4aWnfCALy" /></p> <p><span style="font-size:11pt"><span style="font-family:Calibri,"sans-serif""><span style="font-size:12.0pt"><span style="font-family:"Times New Roman","serif"">Shah, promoter of JGI, has played a major role in taking the company to greater heights. She is also working for women empowerment through organisations such as Tewa, Federation of Women Entrepreneurs Association of Nepal (FWEAN) and SAARC Women Entrepreneur’s Council Nepal, among others.</span></span></span></span></p> <p><span style="font-size:11pt"><span style="font-family:Calibri,"sans-serif""><span style="font-size:12.0pt"><span style="font-family:"Times New Roman","serif"">Similarly, 13</span></span><span style="font-size:12.0pt"><span style="font-family:"Times New Roman","serif""> women entrepreneurs from various categories were also honored at the special ceremony.</span></span></span></span></p> <p><span style="font-size:11pt"><span style="font-family:Calibri,"sans-serif""><span style="font-size:12.0pt"><span style="font-family:"Times New Roman","serif"">Usha Giri, Chairperson of Rikishi Compost Pvt, was felicitated with the ‘Women Entrepreneur of the Year 2022’ award.</span></span></span></span></p> <p><span style="font-size:11pt"><span style="font-family:Calibri,"sans-serif""><span style="font-size:12.0pt"><span style="font-family:"Times New Roman","serif"">Seven women entrepreneurs from each province were awarded during the ceremony.</span></span></span></span></p> <p><span style="font-size:11pt"><span style="font-family:Calibri,"sans-serif""><span style="font-size:12.0pt"><span style="font-family:"Times New Roman","serif"">An independent panel of jury made the final selection of entrepreneurs from more than 2,000 women entrepreneurs.</span></span></span></span></p> <p><span style="font-size:11pt"><span style="font-family:Calibri,"sans-serif""><span style="font-size:12.0pt"><span style="font-family:"Times New Roman","serif"">Jyoti Sherchan, the first female architect of Nepal, was honoured with the ‘Professional Women of the Year 2022’ award, while Indira Yakthumba, principal of Gyanodaya School, received the ‘Inspirational Woman Entrepreneur of the Year 2022’ award.</span></span></span></span></p> <p><span style="font-size:11pt"><span style="font-family:Calibri,"sans-serif""><span style="font-size:12.0pt"><span style="font-family:"Times New Roman","serif"">Likewise, Prakriti Mainali, founder of Shakti Milan Nepal was honoured with the ‘Social Woman Entrepreneur of the Year’ award. Sunaina Thakur, founder of Sunaina Mithila Art was felicitated with the ‘Indigenous Woman Entrepreneur of the Year’ award.</span></span></span></span></p> <p><span style="font-size:11pt"><span style="font-family:Calibri,"sans-serif""><span style="font-size:12.0pt"><span style="font-family:"Times New Roman","serif"">Similarly, Dr Prativa Pandey, founder of Herveda Botanicals was felicitated with the ‘Emerging Woman Entrepreneur of the Year’ award.</span></span></span></span></p> <p><span style="font-size:11pt"><span style="font-family:Calibri,"sans-serif""><span style="font-size:12.0pt"><span style="font-family:"Times New Roman","serif"">The women entrepreneurs were awarded with cash prize, trophy and certificates.</span></span></span></span></p> <p><img src="https://drive.google.com/uc?export=view&id=15YuzQMZTJgVm9DJ5AltqvdFDKz5kbc5J" /></p> <p><span style="font-size:11pt"><span style="font-family:Calibri,"sans-serif""><span style="font-size:12.0pt"><span style="font-family:"Times New Roman","serif"">Likewise, seven enterprising women entrepreneurs from each province were honored with Rs 50,000 each and certificates.</span></span></span></span></p> <p><span style="font-size:11pt"><span style="font-family:Calibri,"sans-serif""><span style="font-size:12.0pt"><span style="font-family:"Times New Roman","serif"">Sita Rai, owner of Luma Gharelu Allo Udhyog and Training Center, Biratchowk (Province 1); Yashodha Gajurel, proprietor of Yashoda Bag and Readymade Udhyog, Birgunj (Madhesh Province); Basu Maya Tamang, proprietor of Nepali Mann Udhyog, Kathmandu (Bagmati Province); and Samikshya Sharma, proprietor of Parbat Krishi Uddham Kendra, Kusma, Parbat (Gandaki Province) bagged the ‘Enterprising Woman of the Year 2022’ awards.</span></span></span></span></p> <p><span style="font-size:11pt"><span style="font-family:Calibri,"sans-serif""><span style="font-size:12.0pt"><span style="font-family:"Times New Roman","serif"">Other entrepreneurs honoured with the ‘Enterprising Woman of the Year 2022’ awards were Neeru Chaudhary, owner of Panchashil Hastakala Kendra, Banke (Lumbini Province); Krishna Kumari Banshi, member of Laganshil Kosheli Textile Udhyog, Birendranagar, Surkhet (Karnali Province); and Dhana Devi Chokhal, owner of Keshav Madhav Krishi Farm Private Limited, Kailali (Sudurpaschim Province). </span></span></span></span></p> <p><span style="font-size:11pt"><span style="font-family:Calibri,"sans-serif""><span style="font-size:12.0pt"><span style="font-family:"Times New Roman","serif"">FWEAN President Neeru Rayamajhi Khatri was the chair of the jury committee. Barsha Shrestha, Anju Sharma, Kishore Maharjan and Sahara Joshi were the members of the jury.</span></span></span></span></p> <p><span style="font-size:11pt"><span style="font-family:Calibri,"sans-serif""><span style="font-size:12.0pt"><span style="font-family:"Times New Roman","serif"">According to the organizers, the jury committee had selected the award winners based on criteria like compliance with regulations, quality of organizational management, quality of business operations, financial indicators, social impact, innovation or novelty in business or product, employment generation, contribution to export or import substitution, calibre and struggle, number of enterprise the entrepreneur is operating, and jury judgment.</span></span></span></span></p> <p><span style="font-size:11pt"><span style="font-family:Calibri,"sans-serif""><span style="font-size:12.0pt"><span style="font-family:"Times New Roman","serif"">Addressing the ceremony, National Planning Commission Vice Chairman Biswo Nath Poudel, who was also the chief guest of the ceremony, said that families in Nepal opt to buy motorcycles instead of washing machines.</span></span></span></span></p> <p><span style="font-size:11pt"><span style="font-family:Calibri,"sans-serif""><span style="font-size:12.0pt"><span style="font-family:"Times New Roman","serif"">“Washing machines and dish-washers are helpful for household chores for women but that does not fall on priority,” said Poudel, adding, “The challenge is to become inclusive. For example, our target is to provide electricity to every household. There are still 300,000 households who are deprived of electricity and those are mostly marginalized community. Supplying electricity to them is inclusion in true sense.”</span></span></span></span></p> <p><span style="font-size:11pt"><span style="font-family:Calibri,"sans-serif""><span style="font-size:12.0pt"><span style="font-family:"Times New Roman","serif"">Also speaking at the ceremony, FNCCI President Shekhar Golchha said thanked New Business Age for inviting him to the event and praised the constitution of Nepal for its inclusiveness. </span></span></span></span></p> <p><span style="font-size:11pt"><span style="font-family:Calibri,"sans-serif""><span style="font-size:12.0pt"><span style="font-family:"Times New Roman","serif""> An in-depth group discussion on ‘Post-pandemic Opportunities for Women Entrepreneurs’ was also held during the event where the panelists highlighted how women entrepreneurs overcame the challenges posed by Covid-19.</span></span></span></span></p> <p><span style="font-size:11pt"><span style="font-family:Calibri,"sans-serif""><span style="font-size:12.0pt"><span style="font-family:"Times New Roman","serif"">According to the organisers, three special interactive training programs in hybrid methods on financial literacy, entrepreneurship, time management and capacity development were held in Pokhara, Birgunj and Biratnagar in the lead-up to the summit and award ceremony.</span></span></span></span></p> <p><span style="font-size:11pt"><span style="font-family:Calibri,"sans-serif""><span style="font-size:12.0pt"><span style="font-family:"Times New Roman","serif"">This is the second edition of ‘Standard Chartered NewBiz Business Women Summit and Award 2022’.</span></span></span></span></p> <p><span style="font-size:11pt"><span style="font-family:Calibri,"sans-serif""><span style="font-size:12.0pt"><span style="font-family:"Times New Roman","serif"">Standard Chartered Bank is the title sponsor of the awards ceremony and Muktinath Bikas Bank is the co-sponsor. Star Hospital is the medical partner for the event. Center for Leadership and Entrepreneurship is the knowledge partner, Turkish Airlines is the airlines partner, Daraz is the ecommerce partner, NECO Insurance Limited is the insurance partner and Fiber Net is the internet partner. </span></span></span></span></p> <p><span style="font-size:11pt"><span style="font-family:Calibri,"sans-serif""><span style="font-size:12.0pt"><span style="font-family:"Times New Roman","serif"">Similarly, the event is also supported by Agriculture Development Bank, Sipradi Trading, Storm, Reliable Life Insurance, Progressive Finance Limited, National Life Insurance, Federation of Women Entrepreneurs Association of Nepal (FWEAN), Federation of Nepalese Chambers of Commerce and Industry (FNCCI) and Nepal Rastra Bank. </span></span></span></span></p> ', 'published' => true, 'created' => '2022-04-22', 'modified' => '2022-04-23', 'keywords' => '', 'description' => '', 'sortorder' => '14894', 'image' => '20220423065345_IMG-20220423-WA0000.jpg', 'article_date' => '2022-04-22 19:35:51', 'homepage' => false, 'breaking_news' => false, 'main_news' => true, 'in_scroller' => false, 'user_id' => '34' ) ), (int) 7 => array( 'Article' => array( 'id' => '15151', 'article_category_id' => '273', 'title' => 'Standard Chartered’s Hsu highlights women’s role in driving commerce and prosperity in Nepal', 'sub_title' => '', 'summary' => 'Judy Hsu, CEO, Standard Chartered—Consumer, Private and Business Banking (CPBB), has said that women have a central role to play in driving commerce and prosperity in Nepal. ', 'content' => '<p>April 22: Judy Hsu, CEO, Standard Chartered—Consumer, Private and Business Banking (CPBB), has said that women have a central role to play in driving commerce and prosperity in Nepal. </p> <p>In a video address to the NewBiz Business Women Summit and Awards 2022 organized by New Business Age Pvt Ltd, the publishers of New Business Age monthly magazine and Aarthik Abhiyan National Daily, she shared initiatives of Standard Chartered in Nepal to support women entrepreneurship as part of its efforts to make a positive and lasting impact in the markets where it operate. </p> <p><img src="https://drive.google.com/uc?export=view&id=1HT_JlZkcmHxYWA5-zPPfWiV4aWnfCALy" /></p> <p>According to Hsu, Standard Chartered Bank Nepal Ltd is offering subsidized women entrepreneurship loans, which have seen a robust growth in the number of accounts opened over the last two years. She said that to promote employability for young women, Standard Chartered is embarking on a project with Plan International to equip young women with necessary skills and knowledge to be employed or self-employed. </p> <p>“To equip young girls with confidence and skills to be economic leaders in their families and communities, we have been running our flagship ‘Sports to Development’ programme in Nepal since 2020. We aim to engage 1,000 young girls in financial education and life-skill training,” she said. She said that Standard Chartered is also committed to promote gender equality at work and support women to take senior roles. “In fact, 40 percent of the board of directors of Standard Chartered Bank Nepal Ltd are female and the board is chaired by Zarin Daruwala, who is our cluster CEO of Standard Chartered’s India and South Asia markets,” she said.</p> ', 'published' => true, 'created' => '2022-04-22', 'modified' => '2022-04-24', 'keywords' => '', 'description' => '', 'sortorder' => '14893', 'image' => '20220422064332_Standard Chartered_.jpg', 'article_date' => '2022-04-22 18:00:11', 'homepage' => true, 'breaking_news' => false, 'main_news' => true, 'in_scroller' => false, 'user_id' => '35' ) ), (int) 8 => array( 'Article' => array( 'id' => '15150', 'article_category_id' => '273', 'title' => 'Panelists Call for Support to Women Entrepreneurs Hit by Covid-19', 'sub_title' => '', 'summary' => 'April 22: Business leaders have urged the government to provide support to women entrepreneurs affected by Covid-19.', 'content' => '<p><span style="font-size:16px"><span style="font-family:Calibri,"sans-serif""><span style="font-family:"Arial","sans-serif"">April 22: Business leaders have urged the government to provide support to women entrepreneurs affected by Covid-19. In a panel discussion organized as part of the NewBiz Business Women Summit and Awards 2022 by New Business Age Pvt Ltd, the publishers of New Business Age monthly magazine and Aarthik Abhiyan National Daily, panelists also highlighted the post-pandemic opportunities available for women entrepreneurs. Excerpts:</span></span></span></p> <p> </p> <p><span style="font-size:16px"><span style="font-family:Calibri,"sans-serif""><strong><span style="font-family:"Arial","sans-serif"">Mahalaxmi Shrestha, </span></strong><span style="font-family:"Arial","sans-serif"">General Secretary, FWEAN</span></span></span></p> <p><span style="font-size:16px"><span style="font-family:Calibri,"sans-serif""><span style="font-family:"Arial","sans-serif"">The pandemic was a major setback to most of the businesses. Many businesses were on the verge of closure. However, some entrepreneurs took this challenge as an opportunity. Digitalization played a vital role in it. Digital platform was the medium through which goods produced were sold in the market. Digital marketing flourished during the period.</span></span></span></p> <p><span style="font-size:16px"><span style="font-family:Calibri,"sans-serif""><span style="font-family:"Arial","sans-serif"">Digital marketing requires good photos of the product and the product’s packaging must also look good.</span></span></span></p> <p><span style="font-size:16px"><span style="font-family:Calibri,"sans-serif""><span style="font-family:"Arial","sans-serif"">The government had announced concessional loan amid the pandemic. However, there was information gap as many women were unaware of such concessional loan. There women were unaware how to access those concessional package.</span></span></span></p> <p><span style="font-size:16px"><span style="font-family:Calibri,"sans-serif""><span style="font-family:"Arial","sans-serif"">Another issue is the collateral free credit for women entrepreneurs. Many women affiliated to our association complain that banks seek collateral with them against the government policy. Therefore, this programme needs to be re-evaluated.</span></span></span></p> <p><span style="font-size:16px"><span style="font-family:Calibri,"sans-serif""> </span></span> <img src="https://drive.google.com/uc?export=view&id=1HT_JlZkcmHxYWA5-zPPfWiV4aWnfCALy" /></p> <p><span style="font-size:16px"><span style="font-family:Calibri,"sans-serif""><strong><span style="font-family:"Arial","sans-serif"">Pradhyuman Pokharel, </span></strong><span style="font-family:"Arial","sans-serif"">CEO, Muktinath Bikas Bank</span></span></span></p> <p><span style="font-size:16px"><span style="font-family:Calibri,"sans-serif""><span style="font-family:"Arial","sans-serif"">When we talk about women entrepreneurship, we need to consider three things, access to finance, access to knowledge and access to the market. It is not enough to just give loans and invest. It is necessary to give knowledge to women on how to do business, problems associated with their field of engagement, source to get raw materials, dangers surrounding the manufacture of products, how to sell the finished products, and if the business can be done with cash or credit as well. </span></span></span></p> <p><span style="font-size:16px"><span style="font-family:Calibri,"sans-serif""><span style="font-family:"Arial","sans-serif"">After all this, it is also mandatory to educate them about marketing of the products. Although the Covid-19 pandemic reduced the growth of credit extension this year, digitization came forth as its positive impact. In addition the creativity got sparked during the lockdown period and now people are able to think in a wide domain. As a result, we witnessed the widespread food delivery business with women's involvement.</span></span></span></p> <p><span style="font-size:16px"><span style="font-family:Calibri,"sans-serif""><span style="font-family:"Arial","sans-serif"">Digitization is difficult in the rural areas of Nepal as women in rural areas are not well aware of technical issues. Women in rural areas are not as aware as the women in urban areas. In addition, awareness is extremely crucial because women are unable to speak independently. With the facilitation of policies, and proper awareness, the ecosystem will be more favorable for women entrepreneurship.</span></span></span></p> <p> </p> <p><span style="font-size:16px"><span style="font-family:Calibri,"sans-serif""><strong><span style="font-family:"Arial","sans-serif"">Narayan Prasad Regmi, </span></strong><span style="font-family:"Arial","sans-serif"">Joint Secretary, Ministry of Industry, Commerce and Supplies </span></span></span></p> <p><span style="font-size:16px"><span style="font-family:Calibri,"sans-serif""><span style="font-family:"Arial","sans-serif"">Since women entrepreneurs were at the forefront of bearing the brunt of Covid-19, the government took three initiatives at the policy level. First, we brought refinancing and subsidized loan facilities for women entrepreneurs hit by the pandemic. We also introduced targeted programmes for women entrepreneurs to help them in finding and accessing markets and export their products by helping them register trademarks and patents. </span></span></span></p> <p><span style="font-size:16px"><span style="font-family:Calibri,"sans-serif""><span style="font-family:"Arial","sans-serif"">We also designed growth modality programmes for women enterprises. We took the Micro-Enterprise Development Programme (MEDEP) to all 753 local units toward helping women-led micro enterprises. </span></span></span></p> <p><span style="font-size:16px"><span style="font-family:Calibri,"sans-serif""><span style="font-family:"Arial","sans-serif"">Women entrepreneurs need support in every step of their overall entrepreneurship or business cycle. For that, the government is ready to provide such support. The priority should be on boosting mass production in the country. </span></span></span></p> <p><span style="font-size:16px"><span style="font-family:Calibri,"sans-serif""><span style="font-family:"Arial","sans-serif"">We are focused on promoting women entrepreneurs also in rural areas. The government has been providing a waiver on revenue for women entrepreneurs or registration of properties. But, that has not helped in increasing women’s role in decision making. We have taken the registration process of business to online system. There is a one-door system for registration of businesses. So, women do not need to visit the Department of Industry to register their businesses. Now, local-level governments register enterprises of certain capital. </span></span></span></p> <p> </p> <p><span style="font-size:16px"><span style="font-family:Calibri,"sans-serif""><strong><span style="font-family:"Arial","sans-serif"">Pranu Singh, </span></strong><span style="font-family:"Arial","sans-serif"">Head of Corporate affairs, Brand and Marketing, Standard Chartered Bank Nepal Limited</span></span></span></p> <p><span style="font-size:16px"><span style="font-family:Calibri,"sans-serif""><span style="font-family:"Arial","sans-serif"">There are separate policies and regulations for women entrepreneurs. Especially, the new financial literacy framework introduced recently is really impressive and we have already started working on it. But since there are many gaps in implementing the policies and regulations, making women entrepreneurs aware will of course fill up those gaps, but it is going to take some time. </span></span></span></p> <p><span style="font-size:16px"><span style="font-family:Calibri,"sans-serif""><span style="font-family:"Arial","sans-serif"">Digitization has definitely occurred but there are challenges everywhere. The beginning of everything starts from a family or community. When a woman expresses her interest towards entrepreneurship, the way her household treats is what matters. But there is the issue of mindset. For years the mindset has been shaped by the stereotype that men should go out to work and women should make a home. Not only in the rural areas, there are such gender biases in urban areas as well. It is a long process to change this mindset, but it is possible. It is necessary to start at the basic level and move step by step towards spreading awareness to the family on how to remove such biases. Women entrepreneurship is basically financial independence and hence awareness should be raised from the family level and organization level itself.</span></span></span></p> <p> </p> <p><span style="font-size:16px"><span style="font-family:Calibri,"sans-serif""><strong><span style="font-family:"Arial","sans-serif"">Dr Neelam Dhungana, </span></strong></span></span><span style="font-size:16px"><span style="font-family:Calibri,"sans-serif""><span style="font-family:"Arial","sans-serif"">Deputy Governor, Nepal Rastra Bank</span></span></span></p> <p><span style="font-size:16px"><span style="font-family:"Times New Roman","serif"">The entire economy was impacted due to the covid-19 pandemic. In the meantime, Nepal Rastra Bank brought different policies to encourage women entrepreneurs. Meanwhile, the central bank did a survey to study the impact of the pandemic in which it was found that only four percent of businesses were fully operating and 80 percent were partially closed. After the impact of coronavirus declined, around 82 percent of businesses have revived and this rate is increasing. </span></span></p> <p><span style="font-size:16px"><span style="font-family:"Times New Roman","serif"">The concessional loan scheme that the government and the central bank had brought to encourage women entrepreneurs, problems such as seeking collateral, target group not receiving the loan, men taking loans in the name of women were seen. Since the loan was not received by the target group, the objective was also not met. We have a high level coordination committee and we have concluded that the concessional loan procedure should be amended. </span></span></p> <p><span style="font-size:16px"><span style="font-family:"Times New Roman","serif"">Lack of ownership in the property is still a major problem for women entrepreneurs. As per the data of ministry of land management, women with land ownership has increased to 43 percent from 20 percent. However, it is very difficult for a woman to take loan even if she has land. So, women cannot take decisions, and it is men who ultimately take the decision. </span></span></p> <p><span style="font-size:16px"><span style="font-family:"Times New Roman","serif"">Besides, the troublesome and lengthy documentation process discourages women entrepreneurs. They also do not know how to write an effective business proposal, which is also a problem. In some cases, men have been misusing the loan in the name of women. The upcoming concessional loan procedure will address all these problems and work accordingly. </span></span><span style="font-size:16px"><span style="font-family:"Times New Roman","serif"">Women entrepreneurship is about financial independence.</span></span></p> ', 'published' => true, 'created' => '2022-04-22', 'modified' => '2022-04-24', 'keywords' => '', 'description' => '', 'sortorder' => '14892', 'image' => '20220422063211_IMG-20220422-WA0000.jpg', 'article_date' => '2022-04-22 18:40:19', 'homepage' => true, 'breaking_news' => false, 'main_news' => true, 'in_scroller' => false, 'user_id' => '34' ) ), (int) 9 => array( 'Article' => array( 'id' => '15149', 'article_category_id' => '273', 'title' => 'Standard Chartered NewBiz Business Women Summit and Awards 2022 Kicks Off', 'sub_title' => '', 'summary' => 'April 22: The Standard Chartered NewBiz Business Women Summit and Awards 2022 kicked off amid a special function in the capital on Thursday.', 'content' => '<p><span style="font-size:12pt"><span style="font-family:"Times New Roman","serif""><span style="font-size:13.5pt"><span style="font-family:"Calibri","sans-serif"">April 22: The Standard Chartered NewBiz Business Women Summit and Awards 2022 kicked off amid a special function in the capital on Thursday. The organizer New Business Age Pvt Ltd informed that 15 women entrepreneurs will be honored in 8 categories during the event.</span></span></span></span></p> <p><span style="font-size:12pt"><span style="font-family:"Times New Roman","serif""><span style="font-size:13.5pt"><span style="font-family:"Calibri","sans-serif"">Speaking at the inauguration of the awards ceremony, Sabita Subedi on behalf of the organisers, said that the awards ceremony would inspire others involved in women’s entrepreneurship. </span></span></span></span></p> <p><span style="font-size:12pt"><span style="font-family:"Times New Roman","serif""><span style="font-size:13.5pt"><span style="font-family:"Calibri","sans-serif"">“Women empowerment has been making rounds since a long time and it has achieved some success. However much more needs to be done. Let’s work hand in hands for entrepreneurship,” said NBA Director Subedi.</span></span></span></span></p> <p><img src="https://drive.google.com/uc?export=view&id=1HT_JlZkcmHxYWA5-zPPfWiV4aWnfCALy" /></p> <p><span style="font-size:12pt"><span style="font-family:"Times New Roman","serif""><span style="font-size:13.5pt"><span style="font-family:"Calibri","sans-serif"">New Business Age had organized various events across the country to promote women entrepreneurship in the run-up to the finale. The awards programme started with two women sharing their entrepreneurial journey. Following the programme, special interactive trainings in hybrid methods on financial literacy, entrepreneurship, time management and capacity development were held in Pokhara, Birgunj and Biratnagar. </span></span></span></span></p> <p><span style="font-size:12pt"><span style="font-family:"Times New Roman","serif""><span style="font-size:13.5pt"><span style="font-family:"Calibri","sans-serif"">NBA has been conducting such programmes to promote entrepreneurship and business since 2013. The programme to honor women entrepreneurs was initiated in 2021.</span></span></span></span></p> <p><span style="font-size:12pt"><span style="font-family:"Times New Roman","serif""><span style="font-size:13.5pt"><span style="font-family:"Calibri","sans-serif"">This year, the best seven women entrepreneurs from each province will also be honored with Rs 50,000 each. According to the organizers, the process of selecting women entrepreneurs for the honor had started since May last year. A jury comprising independent experts made the final selection of entrepreneurs from more than 2,000 women entrepreneurs.</span></span></span></span></p> <p><span style="font-size:12pt"><span style="font-family:"Times New Roman","serif""><span style="font-size:13.5pt"><span style="font-family:"Calibri","sans-serif"">Standard Chartered Bank is the main sponsor and Muktinath Bikas Bank Limited is the co-sponsor of the Summit and Awards to be held in Kathmandu on April 22. Likewise, the medical partner for the event is Star Hospital. Center for Leadership and Entrepreneurship is the knowledge partner, Turkish Airlines is the airlines partner, Daraz is the ecommerce partner, NECO Insurance Limited is the insurance partner and Dish Home FiberNet is the internet partner.</span></span></span></span></p> <p><span style="font-size:12pt"><span style="font-family:"Times New Roman","serif""><span style="font-size:13.5pt"><span style="font-family:"Calibri","sans-serif"">Similarly, the event is also supported by Agriculture Development Bank, Sipradi Trading, Reliable Life Insurance, Progressive Finance Limited, National Life Insurance, Federation of Women Entrepreneurs Association of Nepal (FWEAN), Federation of Nepalese Chambers of Commerce and Industry (FNCCI) and Nepal Rastra Bank.</span></span></span></span></p> ', 'published' => true, 'created' => '2022-04-22', 'modified' => '2022-04-24', 'keywords' => '', 'description' => '', 'sortorder' => '14891', 'image' => '20220422072813_New Business Age Summit and Awards.JPG', 'article_date' => '2022-04-22 16:46:46', 'homepage' => false, 'breaking_news' => false, 'main_news' => true, 'in_scroller' => false, 'user_id' => '34' ) ), (int) 10 => array( 'Article' => array( 'id' => '15148', 'article_category_id' => '236', 'title' => 'Nepal Starts Producing Electric Vehicles in the Country', 'sub_title' => '', 'summary' => 'April 22: Sundar Auto Engineering Pvt Ltd, a sister company of Sundar Transport Pvt Ltd, has started production of electric vehicles in Nepal.', 'content' => '<p><span style="font-size:12pt"><span style="font-family:"Times New Roman","serif"">April 22: Sundar Auto Engineering Pvt Ltd, a sister company of Sundar Transport Pvt Ltd, has started production of electric vehicles in Nepal. The company informed that it started the production of electric vehicles with the objective of reducing consumption of petroleum products by increasing the use of environment-friendly vehicles in Nepal.</span></span></p> <p><span style="font-size:12pt"><span style="font-family:"Times New Roman","serif"">Sundar Auto set up an assembly plant in Rupandehi district two years ago with an investment of around Rs 1 billion to produce electric vehicles in Nepal by importing spare parts from abroad. The company informed during a press conference organized in Kathmandu on Thursday that it succeeded in producing electric vehicles after a long period of tests. In the initial phase, the company will be producing all types of motorcycles, scooters and cars. </span></span></p> <p><span style="font-size:12pt"><span style="font-family:"Times New Roman","serif"">Bhesh Bahadur Thapa, operator of Sundar Yatayat Pvt Ltd, said that the company also installs electric engines on all kinds of vehicles powered by petrol and diesel.</span></span></p> <p><span style="font-size:12pt"><span style="font-family:"Times New Roman","serif"">He informed that it costs around Rs 70,000 to Rs 80,000 to add a new engine run by electric energy on a scooter or a motorcycle powered by fuel. The new engine will allow the vehicles run for 100 km. After the charge finishes, the vehicle will switch back to run with fuel. He said that it would cost Rs 120,000 to Rs 140,000 to add electric engine on a four-wheeler powered by fossil fuel.</span></span></p> <p><span style="font-size:12pt"><span style="font-family:"Times New Roman","serif"">Converting an old bike or scooter to electric vehicle is cost-effective in the long run.</span></span></p> <p><span style="font-size:12pt"><span style="font-family:"Times New Roman","serif"">Pandav Poudel, an engineer at Sundar Auto Engineering Pvt. Ltd. said, “A scooter or bike that runs a hundred kilometers costs Rs 450 on fuel. Converting it to electric can cover the same distance at just Rs 31 and help people save more than Rs 400. He informed that it takes three days to convert a fuel powered vehicle to an electricity powered vehicle. So far, the company converts only scooters, bikes and cars into electrical vehicles. Engineer Poudel informed that test work is being done in case of Hiace and big buses.</span></span></p> <p><span style="font-size:12pt"><span style="font-family:"Times New Roman","serif""><strong>Electric vehicles outside the valley</strong></span></span></p> <p><span style="font-size:12pt"><span style="font-family:"Times New Roman","serif"">Sundar Transport Pvt. Ltd. is going to operate electric vehicles outside the Kathmandu Valley as well. The company informed that it is preparing to run electric vehicles in major cities outside the Kathmandu Valley with the objective of providing transportation services at affordable prices in the face of increasing fuel prices.</span></span></p> <p><span style="font-size:12pt"><span style="font-family:"Times New Roman","serif"">Officials of the company said that they are preparing to run an electric bus from Kakadvitta of Jhapa to Biratnagar by April 28. Similarly, preparations are being made to run an electric bus from Bhandara of Chitwan to Nawalparasi by May 29. Sundar Transport is currently running electric bus in Kathmandu Valley.</span></span></p> <p> </p> ', 'published' => true, 'created' => '2022-04-22', 'modified' => '2022-04-22', 'keywords' => '', 'description' => '', 'sortorder' => '14890', 'image' => '20220422030631_electric-bikes-in-nepal.jpg', 'article_date' => '2022-04-22 15:05:33', 'homepage' => false, 'breaking_news' => false, 'main_news' => true, 'in_scroller' => null, 'user_id' => '34' ) ), (int) 11 => array( 'Article' => array( 'id' => '15147', 'article_category_id' => '277', 'title' => 'State Undermines Agriculture Sector: Experts', 'sub_title' => '', 'summary' => 'April 22: Experts have accused the government of undermining the agriculture sector of the country. ', 'content' => '<p><span style="font-size:12pt"><span style="font-family:"Times New Roman","serif"">April 22: Experts have accused the government of undermining the agriculture sector of the country. Due to the government’s apathy, economists say that the import of goods that are produced within the country has also increased while the fertile lands have been left barren.</span></span></p> <p><span style="font-size:12pt"><span style="font-family:"Times New Roman","serif"">Speaking at a program organized by the Nepal Intellectuals’ council on Thursday, former governor of Nepal Rastra Bank Dipendra Bahadur Chhetri said that it is unfortunate that agriculture sector is not even included in the national policy. Chhetri said, “In fact, the government has devalued the agricultural sector. It is not the fault of the present or any particular government; all the governments are responsible for the devaluation of the agricultural sector. On top of that, even the citizens have started living luxurious life. This has put a negative impact not only on the agricultural sector, but also on the economy as a whole.”</span></span></p> <p><span style="font-size:12pt"><span style="font-family:"Times New Roman","serif"">The former governor said that the agricultural sector should also be given special priority to solve the current problems seen in the economy of the country in the long run.</span></span></p> <p><span style="font-size:12pt"><span style="font-family:"Times New Roman","serif"">Another former governor, Dr Tilak Rawal also said that the government has not prioritized on agriculture. </span></span></p> <p><span style="font-size:12pt"><span style="font-family:"Times New Roman","serif"">“It is not possible to make a big revolution in the agricultural sector immediately. But the production of commodities like paddy, wheat and vegetables can be increased immediately. But the government is still unaware of this fact,” Rawal said, adding, “In the last 7/8 months, vegetables like potatoes and tomatoes worth more than Rs 11 billion were imported. We can produce such vegetables in the country itself. However, the government has not introduced any policy to address this issue.”</span></span></p> <p><span style="font-size:12pt"><span style="font-family:"Times New Roman","serif"">Rawal stated that the US-China trade war, the Covid-19 pandemic and Russia-Ukraine tensions have had a direct impact on Nepal's economy and that the government cannot be blamed. He said that imports should be tightened immediately to solve the current problems associated with the economy.</span></span></p> <p><span style="font-size:12pt"><span style="font-family:"Times New Roman","serif"">Meanwhile, former finance secretary Rameshwar Khanal said the state of Nepal's economy is not worrisome. However he acknowledged that is a crucial time for the state to become alert. Khanal said, “There is enough foreign exchange reserves to support six months of imports, which is enough in itself. Even if it goes down to 3 months, there is still no need to panic,” he added, “On top of that, our foreign debt repayment schedule is good. Just 3 percent of the annual revenue is enough to pay the installment. Therefore, it is unlikely that the country will reach the same state as Sri Lanka.”</span></span></p> <p><span style="font-size:12pt"><span style="font-family:"Times New Roman","serif"">Former Minister Pradip Gyawali said that the investors are losing trust in the private sector. He said, “There is no guarantee that the domestic investors are safe to invest in the country. As a result, the capital is being driven off. Also, the government lacks seriousness on this issue.”</span></span></p> <p> </p> ', 'published' => true, 'created' => '2022-04-22', 'modified' => '2022-04-22', 'keywords' => '', 'description' => '', 'sortorder' => '14889', 'image' => '20220422012326_Agri.jpg', 'article_date' => '2022-04-22 13:22:51', 'homepage' => false, 'breaking_news' => false, 'main_news' => true, 'in_scroller' => false, 'user_id' => '34' ) ), (int) 12 => array( 'Article' => array( 'id' => '15146', 'article_category_id' => '1', 'title' => 'Bara-Parsa Industrial Corridor Facing Power Cuts for 12 Hours a Day', 'sub_title' => '', 'summary' => 'April 22: Industries of Bara-Parsa corridor are facing an acute shortage of energy at the moment. ', 'content' => '<p><span style="font-size:11pt"><span style="font-family:Calibri,"sans-serif""><span style="font-size:12.0pt"><span style="font-family:"Times New Roman","serif"">April 22: Industries of Bara-Parsa corridor are facing an acute shortage of energy at the moment. The industrialists say that they are facing unannounced power cuts for 12 hours a day through the 66 kV transmission line of Nepal Electricity Authority (NEA).</span></span></span></span></p> <p><span style="font-size:11pt"><span style="font-family:Calibri,"sans-serif""><span style="font-size:12.0pt"><span style="font-family:"Times New Roman","serif"">Even though the NEA has declared Nepal free from load shedding, the industries here have been affected by the recent energy crisis.</span></span></span></span></p> <p><span style="font-size:11pt"><span style="font-family:Calibri,"sans-serif""><span style="font-size:12.0pt"><span style="font-family:"Times New Roman","serif"">The production of the industries has dropped to 25/30 per cent due to lack of regular supply of electricity.</span></span></span></span></p> <p><span style="font-size:11pt"><span style="font-family:Calibri,"sans-serif""><span style="font-size:12.0pt"><span style="font-family:"Times New Roman","serif"">“There is power cut for 10/12 hours every day. How is production possible in this way?” an industrialist complained. The supply of electricity to the industries from the NEA's 33 and 11 kV lines is disrupted comparatively less. The industrialists receiving electricity from 66 kV line are more affected.</span></span></span></span></p> <p><span style="font-size:11pt"><span style="font-family:Calibri,"sans-serif""><span style="font-size:12.0pt"><span style="font-family:"Times New Roman","serif"">Chairman of the Birgunj Chamber of Commerce and Industry Subodh Kumar Gupta said that the industries connected to the 66 kV line are experiencing load shedding for 12 hours a day and power tripping 5-6 times a day. Gupta said that there were problems in supply from other transmission lines as well.</span></span></span></span></p> <p><span style="font-size:11pt"><span style="font-family:Calibri,"sans-serif""><span style="font-size:12.0pt"><span style="font-family:"Times New Roman","serif"">"In the last few years, the industries had increased their production capacity due to the easy supply of electricity. But now, they are facing problems due to lack of energy. The industries in this corridor, which is facing energy problems, are now operating at 25-30 per cent of their capacity,” said Gupta.</span></span></span></span></p> <p><span style="font-size:11pt"><span style="font-family:Calibri,"sans-serif""><span style="font-size:12.0pt"><span style="font-family:"Times New Roman","serif"">Suresh Bhattarai, head of the NEA's grid operation department, claims that the current energy shortage is short-lived. According to Bhattarai, Nepal has also been affected by the global energy crisis following Ukraine’s invasion by Russia. </span></span></span></span></p> <p><span style="font-size:11pt"><span style="font-family:Calibri,"sans-serif""><span style="font-size:12.0pt"><span style="font-family:"Times New Roman","serif"">NEA insists that the problem of power cuts is due to excessive load. Bhattarai said that the supply could be disrupted in the future even if there is enough energy if the planned 132 to 400 kV transmission line is not constructed soon.</span></span></span></span></p> <p><span style="font-size:11pt"><span style="font-family:Calibri,"sans-serif""><span style="font-size:12.0pt"><span style="font-family:"Times New Roman","serif"">NEA Birgunj Distribution Center Chief Jitendra Kumar Jha also said that the problem in supply of electricity is mainly due to excessive load in the transmission line.</span></span></span></span></p> <p><span style="font-size:11pt"><span style="font-family:Calibri,"sans-serif""><span style="font-size:12.0pt"><span style="font-family:"Times New Roman","serif"">He said that the Parwanipur-Raxaul 132 kV transmission line has been experiencing frequent power outages due to high load.</span></span></span></span></p> <p><span style="font-size:11pt"><span style="font-family:Calibri,"sans-serif""><span style="font-size:12.0pt"><span style="font-family:"Times New Roman","serif"">Most of the industries in the Bara-Parsa corridor are being supplied electricity from India through this transmission line. About 90 MW of electricity consumed in the corridor comes from this line.</span></span></span></span></p> <p><span style="font-size:11pt"><span style="font-family:Calibri,"sans-serif""><span style="font-size:12.0pt"><span style="font-family:"Times New Roman","serif"">According to Bhattarai, NEA has started construction of additional 132 KV transmission lines in Parwanipur-Raxaul, 400 KV Hetauda-Dhalkebar, 400 KV Hetauda-Inaruwa and 200 KV Hetauda-Bardaghat transmission lines.</span></span></span></span></p> <p><span style="font-size:11pt"><span style="font-family:Calibri,"sans-serif""><span style="font-size:12.0pt"><span style="font-family:"Times New Roman","serif"">Industrialists say that the raw material of industrial establishments get wasted due to frequent power cuts, and electricity tariff is also rising. It has led to an increase in production costs and decline in quality, they say.</span></span></span></span></p> <p> </p> <p><span style="font-size:11pt"><span style="font-family:Calibri,"sans-serif""> </span></span></p> <p> </p> ', 'published' => true, 'created' => '2022-04-22', 'modified' => '2022-04-22', 'keywords' => '', 'description' => '', 'sortorder' => '14888', 'image' => '20220422115047_ffff.jpg', 'article_date' => '2022-04-22 11:50:08', 'homepage' => false, 'breaking_news' => false, 'main_news' => true, 'in_scroller' => false, 'user_id' => '34' ) ), (int) 13 => array( 'Article' => array( 'id' => '15145', 'article_category_id' => '273', 'title' => 'Standard Chartered NewBiz Business Women Summit and Awards 2022 Today', 'sub_title' => '', 'summary' => 'April 21: The final countdown of the Standard Chartered NewBiz Business Women Summit and Awards 2022 will begin at 3 pm today afternoon amid a special function in the capital. ', 'content' => '<p><span style="font-size:12pt"><span style="font-family:"Times New Roman","serif""><span style="font-size:13.5pt"><span style="font-family:"Calibri","sans-serif"">April 21: The final countdown of the Standard Chartered NewBiz Business Women Summit and Awards 2022 will begin at 3 pm today afternoon amid a special function in the capital. The organizer New Business Age Pvt. Ltd. informed that the best 15 women in 8 categories will be honored during the event.</span></span></span></span></p> <p><span style="font-size:12pt"><span style="font-family:"Times New Roman","serif""><span style="font-size:13.5pt"><span style="font-family:"Calibri","sans-serif"">New Business Age had organized various events across the country to promote women entrepreneurship in the run-up to the finale. The awards programme started with two women sharing their entrepreneurial journey. Following the programme, special interactive trainings in hybrid methods on financial literacy, entrepreneurship, time management and capacity development were held in Pokhara, Birgunj and Biratnagar. </span></span></span></span></p> <p><img src="https://drive.google.com/uc?export=view&id=1HT_JlZkcmHxYWA5-zPPfWiV4aWnfCALy" /></p> <p><span style="font-size:12pt"><span style="font-family:"Times New Roman","serif""><span style="font-size:13.5pt"><span style="font-family:"Calibri","sans-serif"">NBA has been conducting such programmes to promote entrepreneurship and business since 2013. The programme to honor women entrepreneurs was initiated in 2021.</span></span></span></span></p> <p><span style="font-size:12pt"><span style="font-family:"Times New Roman","serif""><span style="font-size:13.5pt"><span style="font-family:"Calibri","sans-serif"">This year, the best seven women entrepreneurs from each province will also be honored with Rs 50,000 each. According to the organizers, the process of selecting women entrepreneurs for the honor had started since May last year. A jury comprising independent experts made the final selection of entrepreneurs from more than 2,000 women entrepreneurs.</span></span></span></span></p> <p><span style="font-size:12pt"><span style="font-family:"Times New Roman","serif""><span style="font-size:13.5pt"><span style="font-family:"Calibri","sans-serif"">Standard Chartered Bank is the main sponsor and Muktinath Bikas Bank Limited is the co-sponsor of the Summit and Awards to be held in Kathmandu on April 22. Likewise, the medical partner for the event is Star Hospital. Center for Leadership and Entrepreneurship is the knowledge partner, Turkish Airlines is the airlines partner, Daraz is the ecommerce partner, NECO Insurance Limited is the insurance partner and Dish Home FiberNet is the internet partner.</span></span></span></span></p> <p><span style="font-size:12pt"><span style="font-family:"Times New Roman","serif""><span style="font-size:13.5pt"><span style="font-family:"Calibri","sans-serif"">Similarly, the event is also supported by Agriculture Development Bank, Sipradi Trading, Reliable Life Insurance, Progressive Finance Limited, National Life Insurance, Federation of Women Entrepreneurs Association of Nepal (FWEAN), Federation of Nepalese Chambers of Commerce and Industry (FNCCI) and Nepal Rastra Bank.</span></span></span></span></p> ', 'published' => true, 'created' => '2022-04-22', 'modified' => '2022-04-24', 'keywords' => '', 'description' => '', 'sortorder' => '14887', 'image' => '20220422112228_20220421010649_1650496679.3.jpg', 'article_date' => '2022-04-22 11:21:46', 'homepage' => false, 'breaking_news' => false, 'main_news' => true, 'in_scroller' => false, 'user_id' => '34' ) ), (int) 14 => array( 'Article' => array( 'id' => '15144', 'article_category_id' => '270', 'title' => 'Chinese Ambassador Assures to Help Nepal Export its Products to China ', 'sub_title' => '', 'summary' => 'April 21: Chinese Ambassador to Nepal, Hou Yanqi, has assured of helping Nepal to export its products to China. ', 'content' => '<p><span style="font-size:11pt"><span style="font-family:Calibri,"sans-serif""><span style="font-family:"Arial Unicode MS","sans-serif"">April 21: Chinese Ambassador to Nepal, Hou Yanqi, has assured of helping Nepal to export its products to China. </span><br /> <span style="font-family:"Arial Unicode MS","sans-serif"">Addressing a press meet through virtual means on Thursday, the Chinese Ambassador shared that her country has given high importance to the Nepal's request to resume export to China from the dry port. </span><br /> <span style="font-family:"Arial Unicode MS","sans-serif"">She opined that the officials of the concerned bodies, neighbouring provinces and border dry ports of both sides have been communicating and coordinating to this end. </span><br /> <span style="font-family:"Arial Unicode MS","sans-serif"">Expressing her belief that collaboration between Nepal and China would gain momentum once Nepal's economy and society return to normalcy after COVID-19 pandemic, the Chinese Ambassador said that she was confident that Nepali side would help create free and transparent trade environment, to fully protect the legitimate rights and interest of Chinese enterprises and to resolve their practical problems. </span><br /> <span style="font-family:"Arial Unicode MS","sans-serif"">Responding to queries on resuming direct flights between Nepal and China and facilitating Nepali students to return back to China for higher studies, the ambassador said, “The return of students to schools after the pandemic has remained as a general issue internationally. And, the direct flight between Nepal and China was suspended following the announcement of the Government of Nepal to suspend its international flights as preventive measures against pandemic and the suspension continues till date.” </span><br /> <span style="font-family:"Arial Unicode MS","sans-serif"">Making it clear that the Belt and Road Initiative (BRI) was never a geopolitical strategy, the Chinese ambassador said it is, instead, a project for taking Nepal-like developing countries towards the path of sustainable development and helping promote shared prosperity. -- RSS </span></span></span></p> ', 'published' => true, 'created' => '2022-04-21', 'modified' => '2022-04-21', 'keywords' => '', 'description' => '', 'sortorder' => '14886', 'image' => '20220421055547_131620360_210452010584844_6192150950891783236_n.jpg', 'article_date' => '2022-04-21 17:54:55', 'homepage' => false, 'breaking_news' => false, 'main_news' => true, 'in_scroller' => false, 'user_id' => '34' ) ) ) $current_user = null $logged_in = false $xml = falseinclude - APP/View/Elements/side_bar.ctp, line 133 View::_evaluate() - CORE/Cake/View/View.php, line 971 View::_render() - CORE/Cake/View/View.php, line 933 View::_renderElement() - CORE/Cake/View/View.php, line 1224 View::element() - CORE/Cake/View/View.php, line 418 include - APP/View/Articles/index.ctp, line 157 View::_evaluate() - CORE/Cake/View/View.php, line 971 View::_render() - CORE/Cake/View/View.php, line 933 View::render() - CORE/Cake/View/View.php, line 473 Controller::render() - CORE/Cake/Controller/Controller.php, line 968 Dispatcher::_invoke() - CORE/Cake/Routing/Dispatcher.php, line 200 Dispatcher::dispatch() - CORE/Cake/Routing/Dispatcher.php, line 167 [main] - APP/webroot/index.php, line 117
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Tourism activities which had slowed down due to Covid-19, is picking up pace again.', 'content' => '<p><span style="font-size:11pt"><span style="font-family:Calibri,"sans-serif""><span style="font-size:12.0pt"><span style="font-family:"Arial","sans-serif"">April 24: Tourism activities have increased in Mustang. Tourism activities which had slowed down due to Covid-19, is picking up pace again. For the past few days, the number of tourists going to and from Mustang via Myagdi has increased along the Beni-Jomsom road.</span></span></span></span></p> <p><span style="font-size:11pt"><span style="font-family:Calibri,"sans-serif""><span style="font-size:12.0pt"><span style="font-family:"Arial","sans-serif"">Rishi Baral, head of the Annapurna Conservation Area Project (ACAP) at Jomsom, said that the arrival of domestic tourists has increased while foreign tourists have also started visiting Mustang. </span></span></span></span></p> <p><span style="font-size:11pt"><span style="font-family:Calibri,"sans-serif""><span style="font-size:12.0pt"><span style="font-family:"Arial","sans-serif"">"The number of foreign tourists visiting Mustang by road and air has increased," he said.</span></span></span></span></p> <p><span style="font-size:11pt"><span style="font-family:Calibri,"sans-serif""><span style="font-size:12.0pt"><span style="font-family:"Arial","sans-serif"">According to the District Traffic Police Office, 50 buses, 150 jeeps and 200 tourist vehicles enter Mustang daily through Myagdi.</span></span></span></span></p> <p><span style="font-size:11pt"><span style="font-family:Calibri,"sans-serif""><span style="font-size:12.0pt"><span style="font-family:"Arial","sans-serif"">Police Chief Indra Bahadur Nepali said that the Border Police Post at Kalipul Post and Bhurung Tatopani in Beni keep records of vehicles entering and leaving Mustang.</span></span></span></span></p> <p><span style="font-size:11pt"><span style="font-family:Calibri,"sans-serif""><span style="font-size:12.0pt"><span style="font-family:"Arial","sans-serif"">Access to vaccines against Covid-19 has led to a decline in infection rate, while the lifting of restrictions on tourist sites and favorable weather have led to increase in number of tourists.</span></span></span></span></p> <p><span style="font-size:11pt"><span style="font-family:Calibri,"sans-serif""><span style="font-size:12.0pt"><span style="font-family:"Arial","sans-serif"">Tourists are flocking to Muktinath Temple, Kagbeni, Korala, Lo-Manthang, Jomsom, Dhumwa Lake and Lete. </span></span></span></span></p> <p><span style="font-size:11pt"><span style="font-family:Calibri,"sans-serif""><span style="font-size:12.0pt"><span style="font-family:"Arial","sans-serif"">Samjhana Thakali, a resident of Jomsom, said that those visiting the area include mothers’ group, forest users’ group, club members, cooperatives and students for educational purpose.</span></span></span></span></p> <p><span style="font-size:11pt"><span style="font-family:Calibri,"sans-serif""><span style="font-size:12.0pt"><span style="font-family:"Arial","sans-serif"">The road in Mustang has reached up to Korala pass on the Chinese border. The easy access to transportation has made travel costs cheaper and time shorter.</span></span></span></span></p> <p><span style="font-size:11pt"><span style="font-family:Calibri,"sans-serif""><span style="font-size:12.0pt"><span style="font-family:"Arial","sans-serif"">Tourism activities in Mustang has been stagnant for the last two years since the outbreak of the Covid-19 in April 2020. Hotels and restaurants opened with millions of investment were slowed down due to lack of tourists. Entrepreneurs hope that the hotel business will return to its old rhythm with the increase in tourism activities.</span></span></span></span></p> <p><span style="font-size:11pt"><span style="font-family:Calibri,"sans-serif""><span style="font-size:12.0pt"><span style="font-family:"Arial","sans-serif"">Baburam Acharya, district president of the Hotel and Restaurant Entrepreneurs' Association, said that the businessmen of Myagdi were also relieved by the increasing movement of tourists going to and from Mustang.</span></span></span></span></p> <p> </p> ', 'published' => true, 'created' => '2022-04-24', 'modified' => '2022-04-24', 'keywords' => '', 'description' => '', 'sortorder' => '14900', 'image' => '20220424035529_istockphoto-534638391-612x612.jpg', 'article_date' => '2022-04-24 15:49:34', 'homepage' => false, 'breaking_news' => false, 'main_news' => true, 'in_scroller' => false, 'user_id' => '34' ) ), (int) 1 => array( 'Article' => array( 'id' => '15157', 'article_category_id' => '277', 'title' => 'Agriculture Sector needs Encouragement not Donation: Finance Minister ', 'sub_title' => '', 'summary' => 'April 24: Finance Minister Janardan Sharma has said that the agriculture sector needs encouragement, not grants in the budget of the upcoming fiscal year. ', 'content' => '<p><span style="font-size:12pt"><span style="font-family:"Times New Roman","serif"">April 24: Finance Minister Janardan Sharma has said that the agriculture sector needs encouragement, not grants in the budget of the upcoming fiscal year. During an interaction with the Ministry of Agriculture and Livestock Development on Friday to discuss the upcoming budget as well as policies and programmes of the government, Finance Minister Sharma suggested not to use the word grant as the agriculture sector needs encouragement. </span></span></p> <p><span style="font-size:12pt"><span style="font-family:"Times New Roman","serif"">"When making the budget for the upcoming year, don't use the word subsidy in agriculture, remove it," he said. He said that it was important to reward the farmers on the basis of productivity.</span></span></p> <p><span style="font-size:12pt"><span style="font-family:"Times New Roman","serif"">Minister Sharma gave such instructions after Prakash Sanjel, Joint Secretary and Spokesperson of the Ministry of Agriculture, raised the issue of agricultural subsidy in the proposed program for the coming years. </span></span></p> <p><span style="font-size:12pt"><span style="font-family:"Times New Roman","serif"">The National Planning Commission has proposed a budget ceiling of Rs 42.73 billion for the Ministry of Agriculture for the upcoming fiscal year. The ministry has said that it will propose programmes within the budget limit. In the current fiscal year, only 2.5 percent of the total budget has been allocated for the agriculture sector and the average growth rate of agriculture and livestock has been 3 percent in the last ten years, according to the Ministry of Agriculture. </span></span></p> <p><span style="font-size:12pt"><span style="font-family:"Times New Roman","serif"">During the interaction, Finance Minister Sharma complained that there was a delay in setting up quarantine at the border despite repeated instructions. </span></span></p> <p><span style="font-size:12pt"><span style="font-family:"Times New Roman","serif"">He instructed to carry out examination of imported agricultural produce and food items and also to ensure quantity of pesticides and the condition of labeling etc. He directed to increase the production by distributing improved varieties of seeds to the farmers who are preparing to plant paddy in June-July. "Distribute seeds of high quality of paddy to the farmers immediately. We will provide some budget if needed for this," he said. “Imports should be reduced by increasing paddy production as soon as possible." </span></span></p> <p> </p> ', 'published' => true, 'created' => '2022-04-24', 'modified' => '2022-04-24', 'keywords' => '', 'description' => '', 'sortorder' => '14899', 'image' => '20220424034134_agri maize.jpg', 'article_date' => '2022-04-24 15:40:56', 'homepage' => false, 'breaking_news' => false, 'main_news' => true, 'in_scroller' => null, 'user_id' => '34' ) ), (int) 2 => array( 'Article' => array( 'id' => '15156', 'article_category_id' => '1', 'title' => 'More Investment needed to make Nepal Self-reliant in Medicines', 'sub_title' => '', 'summary' => 'April 24: President Bidya Devi Bhandari has stated that more investment is necessary to make the country self-reliant in medicines. ', 'content' => '<p><span style="font-size:12pt"><span style="font-family:"Times New Roman","serif"">April 24: President Bidya Devi Bhandari has stated that more investment is necessary to make the country self-reliant in medicines. Inaugurating the 'Nepal Pharma Expo 2022' at the Chitwan Expo Center in Bharatpur on Friday, she emphasized on the need to produce the medicines needed in the country within the country itself. She also highlighted the need to promote commercial farming of medicinal herbs in the country to attain the target.</span></span></p> <p><span style="font-size:12pt"><span style="font-family:"Times New Roman","serif"">President Bhandari said, “During the Covid-19 pandemic, we faced the challenge of drug shortage. Which is why, it is necessary to increase investment in drug production and manage the supply chain. To obtain this, emphasis should be given to domestic production of medicinal herbs.” The president stressed that the state should coordinate with the private sector to make the country self-reliant in medicine.</span></span></p> <p><span style="font-size:12pt"><span style="font-family:"Times New Roman","serif"">Speaking on the occasion, Shekhar Golchha, president of the Federation of Nepalese Chambers of Commerce and Industry (FNCCI), stated that there are problems in the country in the sectors like import and export, interest of banks and others. He said that the government should bring industry-friendly policy to get rid of the existing problems. Stating that Covid-19 taught a lot to Nepali people, he pointed out the need to make the country self-reliant in medicine as well.</span></span></p> <p><span style="font-size:12pt"><span style="font-family:"Times New Roman","serif"">President of Nepal Medical Association Dr. Lochan Karki said that the role of medicine is critical to keep Nepali citizens healthy.</span></span></p> <p><span style="font-size:12pt"><span style="font-family:"Times New Roman","serif"">Meanwhile, the Deputy Chairman of the National Planning Commission Dr. Biswo Nath Poudel said that the government is ready to help the pharmaceutical industry. He made such remarks at an interaction program on 'Possibilities and Challenges of Pharmaceutical Production in Nepal' held during the second day of the expo on Saturday.</span></span></p> <p><span style="font-size:12pt"><span style="font-family:"Times New Roman","serif""> “Increase in drug production helps reduce imports. We are ready to help,” he said adding that it is time to increase the production of export-oriented goods, pointing at the declining foreign exchange reserves of Nepal.</span></span></p> <p><span style="font-size:12pt"><span style="font-family:"Times New Roman","serif"">Spokesperson of the Department of Drug Management Santosh KC remarked that foreign investment is also needed to make the country self-reliant in medicine by increasing the production of drugs. He also emphasized on the need to increase the production of essential medicines in Nepal. Speaking on the occasion, former president of the association, Deepak Prasad Dahal said that Nepal is capable of producing quality and essential medicines, and pointed out that the Drugs Act of 2035 BS should be amended.</span></span></p> <p> </p> ', 'published' => true, 'created' => '2022-04-24', 'modified' => '2022-04-24', 'keywords' => '', 'description' => '', 'sortorder' => '14898', 'image' => '20220424030239_18016929_101.jpg', 'article_date' => '2022-04-24 15:02:03', 'homepage' => false, 'breaking_news' => false, 'main_news' => true, 'in_scroller' => false, 'user_id' => '34' ) ), (int) 3 => array( 'Article' => array( 'id' => '15155', 'article_category_id' => '1', 'title' => 'Water Supply from Melamchi Resumes from Today ', 'sub_title' => '', 'summary' => 'April 24: The residents of Kathmandu Valley finally have access to drinking water from Melamchi almost a year after the supply has halted due to natural disasters.', 'content' => '<p><span style="font-size:12pt"><span style="font-family:"Times New Roman","serif"">April 24: The residents of Kathmandu Valley finally have access to drinking water from Melamchi almost a year after the supply has halted due to natural disasters as well as other technical reasons.</span></span></p> <p><span style="font-size:12pt"><span style="font-family:"Times New Roman","serif"">The distribution of drinking water started today (April 24) after the structures damaged by flood last year’s floods were repaired. The supply of water resumed after Minister for Drinking Water Umakanta Chaudhary inaugurated the water tank at Min Bhawan in Kathmandu on Sunday morning.</span></span></p> <p><span style="font-size:12pt"><span style="font-family:"Times New Roman","serif"">Water supply from Melamchi was halted last May. After the repairs and reconstruction of the damaged structure, Kathmandu Upatyaka Khanepani Limited (KUKL) started distributing the drinking water to the taps from Sunday.</span></span></p> <p><span style="font-size:12pt"><span style="font-family:"Times New Roman","serif"">The Ministry of Water Supply initiated the repair of the diversion of the pathway for water supply to Kathmandu from April after completing the maintenance and cleaning work of the project. Water from Melamchi is distributed in the Kathmandu valley via new as well as old taps as well.</span></span></p> <p><span style="font-size:12pt"><span style="font-family:"Times New Roman","serif"">Water will soon be distributed in areas including Min Bhawan, Baneshwor, Thapathali, Mahankal (Chabahil), Anamnagar and other places. Meanwhile, water distribution has already started in Kirtipur, Khumaltar, Bode of Bhaktapur, Swayambhu, Balaju, Naya Bazaar, Kalimati, Maharajgunj and other areas starting today.</span></span></p> <p><span style="font-size:12pt"><span style="font-family:"Times New Roman","serif"">The government had announced to distribute drinking water from Melamchi to the people of the valley by mid-April. KUKL is distributing water after 10 days of announcement. After decades of construction, KUKL had started distributing water from Melamchi in the Kathmandu Valley on March 28, 2021. But at that time, distribution of drinking water had started as a test. </span></span></p> <p><span style="font-size:12pt"><span style="font-family:"Times New Roman","serif"">Spokesperson of the Melamchi Water Supply Development Committee Rajendra Prasad Pant informed that water was already been brought to Sundarijal of Kathmandu from the temporary structure and water distribution was possible since Sunday as the 27 km long tunnel was filled on Friday itself.</span></span></p> <p><span style="font-size:12pt"><span style="font-family:"Times New Roman","serif"">Altogether 170 million liters of water will be distributed daily in Kathmandu Valley. The project has been built with an investment of Rs 30 billion. In addition, floods and landslides from mid-June to mid-August caused a loss of Rs. 360 million.</span></span></p> <p> </p> ', 'published' => true, 'created' => '2022-04-24', 'modified' => '2022-04-24', 'keywords' => '', 'description' => '', 'sortorder' => '14897', 'image' => '20220424011204_Melamchi.jpg', 'article_date' => '2022-04-24 13:11:09', 'homepage' => false, 'breaking_news' => false, 'main_news' => true, 'in_scroller' => false, 'user_id' => '34' ) ), (int) 4 => array( 'Article' => array( 'id' => '15154', 'article_category_id' => '239', 'title' => 'Tourist Arrival on the rise in Langtang National Park', 'sub_title' => '', 'summary' => 'April 24: With the onset of spring season and the decline in number of Covid-19 cases, the number of domestic and foreign tourists visiting Langtang National Park in Rasuwa has increased significantly. ', 'content' => '<p><span style="font-size:11pt"><span style="font-family:Calibri,"sans-serif""><span style="font-family:"Arial Unicode MS","sans-serif"">April 24: With the onset of spring season and the decline in number of Covid-19 cases, the number of domestic and foreign tourists visiting Langtang National Park in Rasuwa has increased significantly. </span><br /> <span style="font-family:"Arial Unicode MS","sans-serif"">According to the Chief Conservation Officer of Langtang National Park, Pramod Bhattarai, around 100 domestic and more than 20 foreign tourists have been arriving on a daily basis in Langtang and the Gosainkunda lake located in the upper region of Rasuwa. </span><br /> <span style="font-family:"Arial Unicode MS","sans-serif"">Majority of the domestic tourists opt to visit the holy shrine of Gosainkunda while foreign tourists have been visiting the Langtang valley for trekking in the surrounding mountains, the state-owned national news agency RSS quoted Bhattarai as saying. </span><br /> <span style="font-family:"Arial Unicode MS","sans-serif"">According to RSS, hotelier Pasang Ghurmi Tamang of Chandanbari shared that the Gosaikunda pilgrimage route has become more vibrant after the tourists started flocking to the otherwise deserted area. Hoteliers say that there is hope for economic recovery as the number of visitors continues to increase. </span><br /> <span style="font-family:"Arial Unicode MS","sans-serif"">Apart from travelling by land, the attraction of devotees visiting Gosainkund by air is also increasing. The helicopter facility has made it easier for the senior citizens, who are unable to walk on foot, to visit this holy shrine, said a local priest Tanka Prasad Dhakal. </span></span></span><br /> </p> ', 'published' => true, 'created' => '2022-04-24', 'modified' => '2022-04-24', 'keywords' => '', 'description' => '', 'sortorder' => '14896', 'image' => '20220424110255_Tourist Arrival (1).jpeg', 'article_date' => '2022-04-24 11:02:17', 'homepage' => false, 'breaking_news' => false, 'main_news' => true, 'in_scroller' => false, 'user_id' => '34' ) ), (int) 5 => array( 'Article' => array( 'id' => '15153', 'article_category_id' => '228', 'title' => 'Jazeera Airlines to Make First International Flight to GBIA on May 16 ', 'sub_title' => '', 'summary' => 'April 24: Jazeera Airlines will be the first airlines company to make the debut international flight to the newly opened Gautam Buddha International Airport in Bhairahawa. ', 'content' => '<p><span style="font-size:11pt"><span style="font-family:Calibri,"sans-serif""><span style="font-family:"Arial Unicode MS","sans-serif"">April 24: Jazeera Airlines will be the first airlines company to make the debut international flight to the newly opened Gautam Buddha International Airport in Bhairahawa. </span><br /> <span style="font-family:"Arial Unicode MS","sans-serif"">The airport came into operation on Thursday. Jazeera Air will fly a narrow-body aircraft with a capacity of 278 passengers from Kuwait to Bhairahawa on the day of Buddha Jayanti on May 16, according to Civil Aviation Authority of Nepal. </span><br /> <span style="font-family:"Arial Unicode MS","sans-serif"">It will return the next day with passengers from Nepal to Kuwait. The airlines will then fly regularly to Bhairahawa three days a week on Monday, Wednesday and Friday. </span><br /> <span style="font-family:"Arial Unicode MS","sans-serif"">General Manager of the international airport, Govinda Dahal, said for now the international flights are scheduled for the night to manage the air traffic congestion caused due to a single runway. </span><br /> <span style="font-family:"Arial Unicode MS","sans-serif"">Director General of CAAN Pradip Adhikari said that the landing at Gautam Buddha International Airport in Bhairahawa is expected to be smooth as there is a 3,500-meter long runway that can accommodate five international flights at a time. </span><br /> <span style="font-family:"Arial Unicode MS","sans-serif"">Air traffic at the Tribhuvan International Airport in Kathmandu is expected to decrease with the operation of the new international airport in Bhairahawa. -- RSS </span></span></span></p> ', 'published' => true, 'created' => '2022-04-24', 'modified' => '2022-04-24', 'keywords' => '', 'description' => '', 'sortorder' => '14895', 'image' => '20220424105929_Jazeera Airways A320neo 2.jpg', 'article_date' => '2022-04-24 10:58:37', 'homepage' => false, 'breaking_news' => false, 'main_news' => true, 'in_scroller' => false, 'user_id' => '34' ) ), (int) 6 => array( 'Article' => array( 'id' => '15152', 'article_category_id' => '273', 'title' => 'Jawalakhel Group’s Maggie Shah Honored with Lifetime Achievement Award', 'sub_title' => '14 Women Entrepreneurs felicitated in NewBiz Business Women Summit and Awards 2022', 'summary' => 'April 22: Maggie Shah of Jawalakhel Group of Industries (JGI) has been honored with the Lifetime Achievement Award during the NewBiz Business Women Summit and Awards 2022 in recognition of her contribution to the Nepali business sector for over four decades.', 'content' => '<p><span style="font-size:11pt"><span style="font-family:Calibri,"sans-serif""><span style="font-size:12.0pt"><span style="font-family:"Times New Roman","serif"">April 22: Maggie Shah of Jawalakhel Group of Industries (JGI) has been honored with the Lifetime Achievement Award during the NewBiz Business Women Summit and Awards 2022 in recognition of her contribution to the Nepali business sector for over </span></span><span style="font-size:12.0pt"><span style="font-family:"Times New Roman","serif"">four decades.</span></span></span></span></p> <p><span style="font-size:11pt"><span style="font-family:Calibri,"sans-serif""><span style="font-size:12.0pt"><span style="font-family:"Times New Roman","serif"">Shah was felicitated with the lifetime achievement award during the event organized by </span></span><span style="font-size:12.0pt"><span style="font-family:"Times New Roman","serif"">New Business Age Pvt Ltd, the publishers of New Business Age monthly magazine and Aarthik Abhiyan National Daily. Standard Chartered Bank Nepal’s CEO Anirvan Ghosh Dastidar, National Planning Commission’s Vice Chairman Biswo Nath Poudel and New Business Age’s Chairman Madan Lamsal jointly handed over the award to Shah. </span></span></span></span></p> <p><img src="https://drive.google.com/uc?export=view&id=1HT_JlZkcmHxYWA5-zPPfWiV4aWnfCALy" /></p> <p><span style="font-size:11pt"><span style="font-family:Calibri,"sans-serif""><span style="font-size:12.0pt"><span style="font-family:"Times New Roman","serif"">Shah, promoter of JGI, has played a major role in taking the company to greater heights. She is also working for women empowerment through organisations such as Tewa, Federation of Women Entrepreneurs Association of Nepal (FWEAN) and SAARC Women Entrepreneur’s Council Nepal, among others.</span></span></span></span></p> <p><span style="font-size:11pt"><span style="font-family:Calibri,"sans-serif""><span style="font-size:12.0pt"><span style="font-family:"Times New Roman","serif"">Similarly, 13</span></span><span style="font-size:12.0pt"><span style="font-family:"Times New Roman","serif""> women entrepreneurs from various categories were also honored at the special ceremony.</span></span></span></span></p> <p><span style="font-size:11pt"><span style="font-family:Calibri,"sans-serif""><span style="font-size:12.0pt"><span style="font-family:"Times New Roman","serif"">Usha Giri, Chairperson of Rikishi Compost Pvt, was felicitated with the ‘Women Entrepreneur of the Year 2022’ award.</span></span></span></span></p> <p><span style="font-size:11pt"><span style="font-family:Calibri,"sans-serif""><span style="font-size:12.0pt"><span style="font-family:"Times New Roman","serif"">Seven women entrepreneurs from each province were awarded during the ceremony.</span></span></span></span></p> <p><span style="font-size:11pt"><span style="font-family:Calibri,"sans-serif""><span style="font-size:12.0pt"><span style="font-family:"Times New Roman","serif"">An independent panel of jury made the final selection of entrepreneurs from more than 2,000 women entrepreneurs.</span></span></span></span></p> <p><span style="font-size:11pt"><span style="font-family:Calibri,"sans-serif""><span style="font-size:12.0pt"><span style="font-family:"Times New Roman","serif"">Jyoti Sherchan, the first female architect of Nepal, was honoured with the ‘Professional Women of the Year 2022’ award, while Indira Yakthumba, principal of Gyanodaya School, received the ‘Inspirational Woman Entrepreneur of the Year 2022’ award.</span></span></span></span></p> <p><span style="font-size:11pt"><span style="font-family:Calibri,"sans-serif""><span style="font-size:12.0pt"><span style="font-family:"Times New Roman","serif"">Likewise, Prakriti Mainali, founder of Shakti Milan Nepal was honoured with the ‘Social Woman Entrepreneur of the Year’ award. Sunaina Thakur, founder of Sunaina Mithila Art was felicitated with the ‘Indigenous Woman Entrepreneur of the Year’ award.</span></span></span></span></p> <p><span style="font-size:11pt"><span style="font-family:Calibri,"sans-serif""><span style="font-size:12.0pt"><span style="font-family:"Times New Roman","serif"">Similarly, Dr Prativa Pandey, founder of Herveda Botanicals was felicitated with the ‘Emerging Woman Entrepreneur of the Year’ award.</span></span></span></span></p> <p><span style="font-size:11pt"><span style="font-family:Calibri,"sans-serif""><span style="font-size:12.0pt"><span style="font-family:"Times New Roman","serif"">The women entrepreneurs were awarded with cash prize, trophy and certificates.</span></span></span></span></p> <p><img src="https://drive.google.com/uc?export=view&id=15YuzQMZTJgVm9DJ5AltqvdFDKz5kbc5J" /></p> <p><span style="font-size:11pt"><span style="font-family:Calibri,"sans-serif""><span style="font-size:12.0pt"><span style="font-family:"Times New Roman","serif"">Likewise, seven enterprising women entrepreneurs from each province were honored with Rs 50,000 each and certificates.</span></span></span></span></p> <p><span style="font-size:11pt"><span style="font-family:Calibri,"sans-serif""><span style="font-size:12.0pt"><span style="font-family:"Times New Roman","serif"">Sita Rai, owner of Luma Gharelu Allo Udhyog and Training Center, Biratchowk (Province 1); Yashodha Gajurel, proprietor of Yashoda Bag and Readymade Udhyog, Birgunj (Madhesh Province); Basu Maya Tamang, proprietor of Nepali Mann Udhyog, Kathmandu (Bagmati Province); and Samikshya Sharma, proprietor of Parbat Krishi Uddham Kendra, Kusma, Parbat (Gandaki Province) bagged the ‘Enterprising Woman of the Year 2022’ awards.</span></span></span></span></p> <p><span style="font-size:11pt"><span style="font-family:Calibri,"sans-serif""><span style="font-size:12.0pt"><span style="font-family:"Times New Roman","serif"">Other entrepreneurs honoured with the ‘Enterprising Woman of the Year 2022’ awards were Neeru Chaudhary, owner of Panchashil Hastakala Kendra, Banke (Lumbini Province); Krishna Kumari Banshi, member of Laganshil Kosheli Textile Udhyog, Birendranagar, Surkhet (Karnali Province); and Dhana Devi Chokhal, owner of Keshav Madhav Krishi Farm Private Limited, Kailali (Sudurpaschim Province). </span></span></span></span></p> <p><span style="font-size:11pt"><span style="font-family:Calibri,"sans-serif""><span style="font-size:12.0pt"><span style="font-family:"Times New Roman","serif"">FWEAN President Neeru Rayamajhi Khatri was the chair of the jury committee. Barsha Shrestha, Anju Sharma, Kishore Maharjan and Sahara Joshi were the members of the jury.</span></span></span></span></p> <p><span style="font-size:11pt"><span style="font-family:Calibri,"sans-serif""><span style="font-size:12.0pt"><span style="font-family:"Times New Roman","serif"">According to the organizers, the jury committee had selected the award winners based on criteria like compliance with regulations, quality of organizational management, quality of business operations, financial indicators, social impact, innovation or novelty in business or product, employment generation, contribution to export or import substitution, calibre and struggle, number of enterprise the entrepreneur is operating, and jury judgment.</span></span></span></span></p> <p><span style="font-size:11pt"><span style="font-family:Calibri,"sans-serif""><span style="font-size:12.0pt"><span style="font-family:"Times New Roman","serif"">Addressing the ceremony, National Planning Commission Vice Chairman Biswo Nath Poudel, who was also the chief guest of the ceremony, said that families in Nepal opt to buy motorcycles instead of washing machines.</span></span></span></span></p> <p><span style="font-size:11pt"><span style="font-family:Calibri,"sans-serif""><span style="font-size:12.0pt"><span style="font-family:"Times New Roman","serif"">“Washing machines and dish-washers are helpful for household chores for women but that does not fall on priority,” said Poudel, adding, “The challenge is to become inclusive. For example, our target is to provide electricity to every household. There are still 300,000 households who are deprived of electricity and those are mostly marginalized community. Supplying electricity to them is inclusion in true sense.”</span></span></span></span></p> <p><span style="font-size:11pt"><span style="font-family:Calibri,"sans-serif""><span style="font-size:12.0pt"><span style="font-family:"Times New Roman","serif"">Also speaking at the ceremony, FNCCI President Shekhar Golchha said thanked New Business Age for inviting him to the event and praised the constitution of Nepal for its inclusiveness. </span></span></span></span></p> <p><span style="font-size:11pt"><span style="font-family:Calibri,"sans-serif""><span style="font-size:12.0pt"><span style="font-family:"Times New Roman","serif""> An in-depth group discussion on ‘Post-pandemic Opportunities for Women Entrepreneurs’ was also held during the event where the panelists highlighted how women entrepreneurs overcame the challenges posed by Covid-19.</span></span></span></span></p> <p><span style="font-size:11pt"><span style="font-family:Calibri,"sans-serif""><span style="font-size:12.0pt"><span style="font-family:"Times New Roman","serif"">According to the organisers, three special interactive training programs in hybrid methods on financial literacy, entrepreneurship, time management and capacity development were held in Pokhara, Birgunj and Biratnagar in the lead-up to the summit and award ceremony.</span></span></span></span></p> <p><span style="font-size:11pt"><span style="font-family:Calibri,"sans-serif""><span style="font-size:12.0pt"><span style="font-family:"Times New Roman","serif"">This is the second edition of ‘Standard Chartered NewBiz Business Women Summit and Award 2022’.</span></span></span></span></p> <p><span style="font-size:11pt"><span style="font-family:Calibri,"sans-serif""><span style="font-size:12.0pt"><span style="font-family:"Times New Roman","serif"">Standard Chartered Bank is the title sponsor of the awards ceremony and Muktinath Bikas Bank is the co-sponsor. Star Hospital is the medical partner for the event. Center for Leadership and Entrepreneurship is the knowledge partner, Turkish Airlines is the airlines partner, Daraz is the ecommerce partner, NECO Insurance Limited is the insurance partner and Fiber Net is the internet partner. </span></span></span></span></p> <p><span style="font-size:11pt"><span style="font-family:Calibri,"sans-serif""><span style="font-size:12.0pt"><span style="font-family:"Times New Roman","serif"">Similarly, the event is also supported by Agriculture Development Bank, Sipradi Trading, Storm, Reliable Life Insurance, Progressive Finance Limited, National Life Insurance, Federation of Women Entrepreneurs Association of Nepal (FWEAN), Federation of Nepalese Chambers of Commerce and Industry (FNCCI) and Nepal Rastra Bank. </span></span></span></span></p> ', 'published' => true, 'created' => '2022-04-22', 'modified' => '2022-04-23', 'keywords' => '', 'description' => '', 'sortorder' => '14894', 'image' => '20220423065345_IMG-20220423-WA0000.jpg', 'article_date' => '2022-04-22 19:35:51', 'homepage' => false, 'breaking_news' => false, 'main_news' => true, 'in_scroller' => false, 'user_id' => '34' ) ), (int) 7 => array( 'Article' => array( 'id' => '15151', 'article_category_id' => '273', 'title' => 'Standard Chartered’s Hsu highlights women’s role in driving commerce and prosperity in Nepal', 'sub_title' => '', 'summary' => 'Judy Hsu, CEO, Standard Chartered—Consumer, Private and Business Banking (CPBB), has said that women have a central role to play in driving commerce and prosperity in Nepal. ', 'content' => '<p>April 22: Judy Hsu, CEO, Standard Chartered—Consumer, Private and Business Banking (CPBB), has said that women have a central role to play in driving commerce and prosperity in Nepal. </p> <p>In a video address to the NewBiz Business Women Summit and Awards 2022 organized by New Business Age Pvt Ltd, the publishers of New Business Age monthly magazine and Aarthik Abhiyan National Daily, she shared initiatives of Standard Chartered in Nepal to support women entrepreneurship as part of its efforts to make a positive and lasting impact in the markets where it operate. </p> <p><img src="https://drive.google.com/uc?export=view&id=1HT_JlZkcmHxYWA5-zPPfWiV4aWnfCALy" /></p> <p>According to Hsu, Standard Chartered Bank Nepal Ltd is offering subsidized women entrepreneurship loans, which have seen a robust growth in the number of accounts opened over the last two years. She said that to promote employability for young women, Standard Chartered is embarking on a project with Plan International to equip young women with necessary skills and knowledge to be employed or self-employed. </p> <p>“To equip young girls with confidence and skills to be economic leaders in their families and communities, we have been running our flagship ‘Sports to Development’ programme in Nepal since 2020. We aim to engage 1,000 young girls in financial education and life-skill training,” she said. She said that Standard Chartered is also committed to promote gender equality at work and support women to take senior roles. “In fact, 40 percent of the board of directors of Standard Chartered Bank Nepal Ltd are female and the board is chaired by Zarin Daruwala, who is our cluster CEO of Standard Chartered’s India and South Asia markets,” she said.</p> ', 'published' => true, 'created' => '2022-04-22', 'modified' => '2022-04-24', 'keywords' => '', 'description' => '', 'sortorder' => '14893', 'image' => '20220422064332_Standard Chartered_.jpg', 'article_date' => '2022-04-22 18:00:11', 'homepage' => true, 'breaking_news' => false, 'main_news' => true, 'in_scroller' => false, 'user_id' => '35' ) ), (int) 8 => array( 'Article' => array( 'id' => '15150', 'article_category_id' => '273', 'title' => 'Panelists Call for Support to Women Entrepreneurs Hit by Covid-19', 'sub_title' => '', 'summary' => 'April 22: Business leaders have urged the government to provide support to women entrepreneurs affected by Covid-19.', 'content' => '<p><span style="font-size:16px"><span style="font-family:Calibri,"sans-serif""><span style="font-family:"Arial","sans-serif"">April 22: Business leaders have urged the government to provide support to women entrepreneurs affected by Covid-19. In a panel discussion organized as part of the NewBiz Business Women Summit and Awards 2022 by New Business Age Pvt Ltd, the publishers of New Business Age monthly magazine and Aarthik Abhiyan National Daily, panelists also highlighted the post-pandemic opportunities available for women entrepreneurs. Excerpts:</span></span></span></p> <p> </p> <p><span style="font-size:16px"><span style="font-family:Calibri,"sans-serif""><strong><span style="font-family:"Arial","sans-serif"">Mahalaxmi Shrestha, </span></strong><span style="font-family:"Arial","sans-serif"">General Secretary, FWEAN</span></span></span></p> <p><span style="font-size:16px"><span style="font-family:Calibri,"sans-serif""><span style="font-family:"Arial","sans-serif"">The pandemic was a major setback to most of the businesses. Many businesses were on the verge of closure. However, some entrepreneurs took this challenge as an opportunity. Digitalization played a vital role in it. Digital platform was the medium through which goods produced were sold in the market. Digital marketing flourished during the period.</span></span></span></p> <p><span style="font-size:16px"><span style="font-family:Calibri,"sans-serif""><span style="font-family:"Arial","sans-serif"">Digital marketing requires good photos of the product and the product’s packaging must also look good.</span></span></span></p> <p><span style="font-size:16px"><span style="font-family:Calibri,"sans-serif""><span style="font-family:"Arial","sans-serif"">The government had announced concessional loan amid the pandemic. However, there was information gap as many women were unaware of such concessional loan. There women were unaware how to access those concessional package.</span></span></span></p> <p><span style="font-size:16px"><span style="font-family:Calibri,"sans-serif""><span style="font-family:"Arial","sans-serif"">Another issue is the collateral free credit for women entrepreneurs. Many women affiliated to our association complain that banks seek collateral with them against the government policy. Therefore, this programme needs to be re-evaluated.</span></span></span></p> <p><span style="font-size:16px"><span style="font-family:Calibri,"sans-serif""> </span></span> <img src="https://drive.google.com/uc?export=view&id=1HT_JlZkcmHxYWA5-zPPfWiV4aWnfCALy" /></p> <p><span style="font-size:16px"><span style="font-family:Calibri,"sans-serif""><strong><span style="font-family:"Arial","sans-serif"">Pradhyuman Pokharel, </span></strong><span style="font-family:"Arial","sans-serif"">CEO, Muktinath Bikas Bank</span></span></span></p> <p><span style="font-size:16px"><span style="font-family:Calibri,"sans-serif""><span style="font-family:"Arial","sans-serif"">When we talk about women entrepreneurship, we need to consider three things, access to finance, access to knowledge and access to the market. It is not enough to just give loans and invest. It is necessary to give knowledge to women on how to do business, problems associated with their field of engagement, source to get raw materials, dangers surrounding the manufacture of products, how to sell the finished products, and if the business can be done with cash or credit as well. </span></span></span></p> <p><span style="font-size:16px"><span style="font-family:Calibri,"sans-serif""><span style="font-family:"Arial","sans-serif"">After all this, it is also mandatory to educate them about marketing of the products. Although the Covid-19 pandemic reduced the growth of credit extension this year, digitization came forth as its positive impact. In addition the creativity got sparked during the lockdown period and now people are able to think in a wide domain. As a result, we witnessed the widespread food delivery business with women's involvement.</span></span></span></p> <p><span style="font-size:16px"><span style="font-family:Calibri,"sans-serif""><span style="font-family:"Arial","sans-serif"">Digitization is difficult in the rural areas of Nepal as women in rural areas are not well aware of technical issues. Women in rural areas are not as aware as the women in urban areas. In addition, awareness is extremely crucial because women are unable to speak independently. With the facilitation of policies, and proper awareness, the ecosystem will be more favorable for women entrepreneurship.</span></span></span></p> <p> </p> <p><span style="font-size:16px"><span style="font-family:Calibri,"sans-serif""><strong><span style="font-family:"Arial","sans-serif"">Narayan Prasad Regmi, </span></strong><span style="font-family:"Arial","sans-serif"">Joint Secretary, Ministry of Industry, Commerce and Supplies </span></span></span></p> <p><span style="font-size:16px"><span style="font-family:Calibri,"sans-serif""><span style="font-family:"Arial","sans-serif"">Since women entrepreneurs were at the forefront of bearing the brunt of Covid-19, the government took three initiatives at the policy level. First, we brought refinancing and subsidized loan facilities for women entrepreneurs hit by the pandemic. We also introduced targeted programmes for women entrepreneurs to help them in finding and accessing markets and export their products by helping them register trademarks and patents. </span></span></span></p> <p><span style="font-size:16px"><span style="font-family:Calibri,"sans-serif""><span style="font-family:"Arial","sans-serif"">We also designed growth modality programmes for women enterprises. We took the Micro-Enterprise Development Programme (MEDEP) to all 753 local units toward helping women-led micro enterprises. </span></span></span></p> <p><span style="font-size:16px"><span style="font-family:Calibri,"sans-serif""><span style="font-family:"Arial","sans-serif"">Women entrepreneurs need support in every step of their overall entrepreneurship or business cycle. For that, the government is ready to provide such support. The priority should be on boosting mass production in the country. </span></span></span></p> <p><span style="font-size:16px"><span style="font-family:Calibri,"sans-serif""><span style="font-family:"Arial","sans-serif"">We are focused on promoting women entrepreneurs also in rural areas. The government has been providing a waiver on revenue for women entrepreneurs or registration of properties. But, that has not helped in increasing women’s role in decision making. We have taken the registration process of business to online system. There is a one-door system for registration of businesses. So, women do not need to visit the Department of Industry to register their businesses. Now, local-level governments register enterprises of certain capital. </span></span></span></p> <p> </p> <p><span style="font-size:16px"><span style="font-family:Calibri,"sans-serif""><strong><span style="font-family:"Arial","sans-serif"">Pranu Singh, </span></strong><span style="font-family:"Arial","sans-serif"">Head of Corporate affairs, Brand and Marketing, Standard Chartered Bank Nepal Limited</span></span></span></p> <p><span style="font-size:16px"><span style="font-family:Calibri,"sans-serif""><span style="font-family:"Arial","sans-serif"">There are separate policies and regulations for women entrepreneurs. Especially, the new financial literacy framework introduced recently is really impressive and we have already started working on it. But since there are many gaps in implementing the policies and regulations, making women entrepreneurs aware will of course fill up those gaps, but it is going to take some time. </span></span></span></p> <p><span style="font-size:16px"><span style="font-family:Calibri,"sans-serif""><span style="font-family:"Arial","sans-serif"">Digitization has definitely occurred but there are challenges everywhere. The beginning of everything starts from a family or community. When a woman expresses her interest towards entrepreneurship, the way her household treats is what matters. But there is the issue of mindset. For years the mindset has been shaped by the stereotype that men should go out to work and women should make a home. Not only in the rural areas, there are such gender biases in urban areas as well. It is a long process to change this mindset, but it is possible. It is necessary to start at the basic level and move step by step towards spreading awareness to the family on how to remove such biases. Women entrepreneurship is basically financial independence and hence awareness should be raised from the family level and organization level itself.</span></span></span></p> <p> </p> <p><span style="font-size:16px"><span style="font-family:Calibri,"sans-serif""><strong><span style="font-family:"Arial","sans-serif"">Dr Neelam Dhungana, </span></strong></span></span><span style="font-size:16px"><span style="font-family:Calibri,"sans-serif""><span style="font-family:"Arial","sans-serif"">Deputy Governor, Nepal Rastra Bank</span></span></span></p> <p><span style="font-size:16px"><span style="font-family:"Times New Roman","serif"">The entire economy was impacted due to the covid-19 pandemic. In the meantime, Nepal Rastra Bank brought different policies to encourage women entrepreneurs. Meanwhile, the central bank did a survey to study the impact of the pandemic in which it was found that only four percent of businesses were fully operating and 80 percent were partially closed. After the impact of coronavirus declined, around 82 percent of businesses have revived and this rate is increasing. </span></span></p> <p><span style="font-size:16px"><span style="font-family:"Times New Roman","serif"">The concessional loan scheme that the government and the central bank had brought to encourage women entrepreneurs, problems such as seeking collateral, target group not receiving the loan, men taking loans in the name of women were seen. Since the loan was not received by the target group, the objective was also not met. We have a high level coordination committee and we have concluded that the concessional loan procedure should be amended. </span></span></p> <p><span style="font-size:16px"><span style="font-family:"Times New Roman","serif"">Lack of ownership in the property is still a major problem for women entrepreneurs. As per the data of ministry of land management, women with land ownership has increased to 43 percent from 20 percent. However, it is very difficult for a woman to take loan even if she has land. So, women cannot take decisions, and it is men who ultimately take the decision. </span></span></p> <p><span style="font-size:16px"><span style="font-family:"Times New Roman","serif"">Besides, the troublesome and lengthy documentation process discourages women entrepreneurs. They also do not know how to write an effective business proposal, which is also a problem. In some cases, men have been misusing the loan in the name of women. The upcoming concessional loan procedure will address all these problems and work accordingly. </span></span><span style="font-size:16px"><span style="font-family:"Times New Roman","serif"">Women entrepreneurship is about financial independence.</span></span></p> ', 'published' => true, 'created' => '2022-04-22', 'modified' => '2022-04-24', 'keywords' => '', 'description' => '', 'sortorder' => '14892', 'image' => '20220422063211_IMG-20220422-WA0000.jpg', 'article_date' => '2022-04-22 18:40:19', 'homepage' => true, 'breaking_news' => false, 'main_news' => true, 'in_scroller' => false, 'user_id' => '34' ) ), (int) 9 => array( 'Article' => array( 'id' => '15149', 'article_category_id' => '273', 'title' => 'Standard Chartered NewBiz Business Women Summit and Awards 2022 Kicks Off', 'sub_title' => '', 'summary' => 'April 22: The Standard Chartered NewBiz Business Women Summit and Awards 2022 kicked off amid a special function in the capital on Thursday.', 'content' => '<p><span style="font-size:12pt"><span style="font-family:"Times New Roman","serif""><span style="font-size:13.5pt"><span style="font-family:"Calibri","sans-serif"">April 22: The Standard Chartered NewBiz Business Women Summit and Awards 2022 kicked off amid a special function in the capital on Thursday. The organizer New Business Age Pvt Ltd informed that 15 women entrepreneurs will be honored in 8 categories during the event.</span></span></span></span></p> <p><span style="font-size:12pt"><span style="font-family:"Times New Roman","serif""><span style="font-size:13.5pt"><span style="font-family:"Calibri","sans-serif"">Speaking at the inauguration of the awards ceremony, Sabita Subedi on behalf of the organisers, said that the awards ceremony would inspire others involved in women’s entrepreneurship. </span></span></span></span></p> <p><span style="font-size:12pt"><span style="font-family:"Times New Roman","serif""><span style="font-size:13.5pt"><span style="font-family:"Calibri","sans-serif"">“Women empowerment has been making rounds since a long time and it has achieved some success. However much more needs to be done. Let’s work hand in hands for entrepreneurship,” said NBA Director Subedi.</span></span></span></span></p> <p><img src="https://drive.google.com/uc?export=view&id=1HT_JlZkcmHxYWA5-zPPfWiV4aWnfCALy" /></p> <p><span style="font-size:12pt"><span style="font-family:"Times New Roman","serif""><span style="font-size:13.5pt"><span style="font-family:"Calibri","sans-serif"">New Business Age had organized various events across the country to promote women entrepreneurship in the run-up to the finale. The awards programme started with two women sharing their entrepreneurial journey. Following the programme, special interactive trainings in hybrid methods on financial literacy, entrepreneurship, time management and capacity development were held in Pokhara, Birgunj and Biratnagar. </span></span></span></span></p> <p><span style="font-size:12pt"><span style="font-family:"Times New Roman","serif""><span style="font-size:13.5pt"><span style="font-family:"Calibri","sans-serif"">NBA has been conducting such programmes to promote entrepreneurship and business since 2013. The programme to honor women entrepreneurs was initiated in 2021.</span></span></span></span></p> <p><span style="font-size:12pt"><span style="font-family:"Times New Roman","serif""><span style="font-size:13.5pt"><span style="font-family:"Calibri","sans-serif"">This year, the best seven women entrepreneurs from each province will also be honored with Rs 50,000 each. According to the organizers, the process of selecting women entrepreneurs for the honor had started since May last year. A jury comprising independent experts made the final selection of entrepreneurs from more than 2,000 women entrepreneurs.</span></span></span></span></p> <p><span style="font-size:12pt"><span style="font-family:"Times New Roman","serif""><span style="font-size:13.5pt"><span style="font-family:"Calibri","sans-serif"">Standard Chartered Bank is the main sponsor and Muktinath Bikas Bank Limited is the co-sponsor of the Summit and Awards to be held in Kathmandu on April 22. Likewise, the medical partner for the event is Star Hospital. Center for Leadership and Entrepreneurship is the knowledge partner, Turkish Airlines is the airlines partner, Daraz is the ecommerce partner, NECO Insurance Limited is the insurance partner and Dish Home FiberNet is the internet partner.</span></span></span></span></p> <p><span style="font-size:12pt"><span style="font-family:"Times New Roman","serif""><span style="font-size:13.5pt"><span style="font-family:"Calibri","sans-serif"">Similarly, the event is also supported by Agriculture Development Bank, Sipradi Trading, Reliable Life Insurance, Progressive Finance Limited, National Life Insurance, Federation of Women Entrepreneurs Association of Nepal (FWEAN), Federation of Nepalese Chambers of Commerce and Industry (FNCCI) and Nepal Rastra Bank.</span></span></span></span></p> ', 'published' => true, 'created' => '2022-04-22', 'modified' => '2022-04-24', 'keywords' => '', 'description' => '', 'sortorder' => '14891', 'image' => '20220422072813_New Business Age Summit and Awards.JPG', 'article_date' => '2022-04-22 16:46:46', 'homepage' => false, 'breaking_news' => false, 'main_news' => true, 'in_scroller' => false, 'user_id' => '34' ) ), (int) 10 => array( 'Article' => array( 'id' => '15148', 'article_category_id' => '236', 'title' => 'Nepal Starts Producing Electric Vehicles in the Country', 'sub_title' => '', 'summary' => 'April 22: Sundar Auto Engineering Pvt Ltd, a sister company of Sundar Transport Pvt Ltd, has started production of electric vehicles in Nepal.', 'content' => '<p><span style="font-size:12pt"><span style="font-family:"Times New Roman","serif"">April 22: Sundar Auto Engineering Pvt Ltd, a sister company of Sundar Transport Pvt Ltd, has started production of electric vehicles in Nepal. The company informed that it started the production of electric vehicles with the objective of reducing consumption of petroleum products by increasing the use of environment-friendly vehicles in Nepal.</span></span></p> <p><span style="font-size:12pt"><span style="font-family:"Times New Roman","serif"">Sundar Auto set up an assembly plant in Rupandehi district two years ago with an investment of around Rs 1 billion to produce electric vehicles in Nepal by importing spare parts from abroad. The company informed during a press conference organized in Kathmandu on Thursday that it succeeded in producing electric vehicles after a long period of tests. In the initial phase, the company will be producing all types of motorcycles, scooters and cars. </span></span></p> <p><span style="font-size:12pt"><span style="font-family:"Times New Roman","serif"">Bhesh Bahadur Thapa, operator of Sundar Yatayat Pvt Ltd, said that the company also installs electric engines on all kinds of vehicles powered by petrol and diesel.</span></span></p> <p><span style="font-size:12pt"><span style="font-family:"Times New Roman","serif"">He informed that it costs around Rs 70,000 to Rs 80,000 to add a new engine run by electric energy on a scooter or a motorcycle powered by fuel. The new engine will allow the vehicles run for 100 km. After the charge finishes, the vehicle will switch back to run with fuel. He said that it would cost Rs 120,000 to Rs 140,000 to add electric engine on a four-wheeler powered by fossil fuel.</span></span></p> <p><span style="font-size:12pt"><span style="font-family:"Times New Roman","serif"">Converting an old bike or scooter to electric vehicle is cost-effective in the long run.</span></span></p> <p><span style="font-size:12pt"><span style="font-family:"Times New Roman","serif"">Pandav Poudel, an engineer at Sundar Auto Engineering Pvt. Ltd. said, “A scooter or bike that runs a hundred kilometers costs Rs 450 on fuel. Converting it to electric can cover the same distance at just Rs 31 and help people save more than Rs 400. He informed that it takes three days to convert a fuel powered vehicle to an electricity powered vehicle. So far, the company converts only scooters, bikes and cars into electrical vehicles. Engineer Poudel informed that test work is being done in case of Hiace and big buses.</span></span></p> <p><span style="font-size:12pt"><span style="font-family:"Times New Roman","serif""><strong>Electric vehicles outside the valley</strong></span></span></p> <p><span style="font-size:12pt"><span style="font-family:"Times New Roman","serif"">Sundar Transport Pvt. Ltd. is going to operate electric vehicles outside the Kathmandu Valley as well. The company informed that it is preparing to run electric vehicles in major cities outside the Kathmandu Valley with the objective of providing transportation services at affordable prices in the face of increasing fuel prices.</span></span></p> <p><span style="font-size:12pt"><span style="font-family:"Times New Roman","serif"">Officials of the company said that they are preparing to run an electric bus from Kakadvitta of Jhapa to Biratnagar by April 28. Similarly, preparations are being made to run an electric bus from Bhandara of Chitwan to Nawalparasi by May 29. Sundar Transport is currently running electric bus in Kathmandu Valley.</span></span></p> <p> </p> ', 'published' => true, 'created' => '2022-04-22', 'modified' => '2022-04-22', 'keywords' => '', 'description' => '', 'sortorder' => '14890', 'image' => '20220422030631_electric-bikes-in-nepal.jpg', 'article_date' => '2022-04-22 15:05:33', 'homepage' => false, 'breaking_news' => false, 'main_news' => true, 'in_scroller' => null, 'user_id' => '34' ) ), (int) 11 => array( 'Article' => array( 'id' => '15147', 'article_category_id' => '277', 'title' => 'State Undermines Agriculture Sector: Experts', 'sub_title' => '', 'summary' => 'April 22: Experts have accused the government of undermining the agriculture sector of the country. ', 'content' => '<p><span style="font-size:12pt"><span style="font-family:"Times New Roman","serif"">April 22: Experts have accused the government of undermining the agriculture sector of the country. Due to the government’s apathy, economists say that the import of goods that are produced within the country has also increased while the fertile lands have been left barren.</span></span></p> <p><span style="font-size:12pt"><span style="font-family:"Times New Roman","serif"">Speaking at a program organized by the Nepal Intellectuals’ council on Thursday, former governor of Nepal Rastra Bank Dipendra Bahadur Chhetri said that it is unfortunate that agriculture sector is not even included in the national policy. Chhetri said, “In fact, the government has devalued the agricultural sector. It is not the fault of the present or any particular government; all the governments are responsible for the devaluation of the agricultural sector. On top of that, even the citizens have started living luxurious life. This has put a negative impact not only on the agricultural sector, but also on the economy as a whole.”</span></span></p> <p><span style="font-size:12pt"><span style="font-family:"Times New Roman","serif"">The former governor said that the agricultural sector should also be given special priority to solve the current problems seen in the economy of the country in the long run.</span></span></p> <p><span style="font-size:12pt"><span style="font-family:"Times New Roman","serif"">Another former governor, Dr Tilak Rawal also said that the government has not prioritized on agriculture. </span></span></p> <p><span style="font-size:12pt"><span style="font-family:"Times New Roman","serif"">“It is not possible to make a big revolution in the agricultural sector immediately. But the production of commodities like paddy, wheat and vegetables can be increased immediately. But the government is still unaware of this fact,” Rawal said, adding, “In the last 7/8 months, vegetables like potatoes and tomatoes worth more than Rs 11 billion were imported. We can produce such vegetables in the country itself. However, the government has not introduced any policy to address this issue.”</span></span></p> <p><span style="font-size:12pt"><span style="font-family:"Times New Roman","serif"">Rawal stated that the US-China trade war, the Covid-19 pandemic and Russia-Ukraine tensions have had a direct impact on Nepal's economy and that the government cannot be blamed. He said that imports should be tightened immediately to solve the current problems associated with the economy.</span></span></p> <p><span style="font-size:12pt"><span style="font-family:"Times New Roman","serif"">Meanwhile, former finance secretary Rameshwar Khanal said the state of Nepal's economy is not worrisome. However he acknowledged that is a crucial time for the state to become alert. Khanal said, “There is enough foreign exchange reserves to support six months of imports, which is enough in itself. Even if it goes down to 3 months, there is still no need to panic,” he added, “On top of that, our foreign debt repayment schedule is good. Just 3 percent of the annual revenue is enough to pay the installment. Therefore, it is unlikely that the country will reach the same state as Sri Lanka.”</span></span></p> <p><span style="font-size:12pt"><span style="font-family:"Times New Roman","serif"">Former Minister Pradip Gyawali said that the investors are losing trust in the private sector. He said, “There is no guarantee that the domestic investors are safe to invest in the country. As a result, the capital is being driven off. Also, the government lacks seriousness on this issue.”</span></span></p> <p> </p> ', 'published' => true, 'created' => '2022-04-22', 'modified' => '2022-04-22', 'keywords' => '', 'description' => '', 'sortorder' => '14889', 'image' => '20220422012326_Agri.jpg', 'article_date' => '2022-04-22 13:22:51', 'homepage' => false, 'breaking_news' => false, 'main_news' => true, 'in_scroller' => false, 'user_id' => '34' ) ), (int) 12 => array( 'Article' => array( 'id' => '15146', 'article_category_id' => '1', 'title' => 'Bara-Parsa Industrial Corridor Facing Power Cuts for 12 Hours a Day', 'sub_title' => '', 'summary' => 'April 22: Industries of Bara-Parsa corridor are facing an acute shortage of energy at the moment. ', 'content' => '<p><span style="font-size:11pt"><span style="font-family:Calibri,"sans-serif""><span style="font-size:12.0pt"><span style="font-family:"Times New Roman","serif"">April 22: Industries of Bara-Parsa corridor are facing an acute shortage of energy at the moment. The industrialists say that they are facing unannounced power cuts for 12 hours a day through the 66 kV transmission line of Nepal Electricity Authority (NEA).</span></span></span></span></p> <p><span style="font-size:11pt"><span style="font-family:Calibri,"sans-serif""><span style="font-size:12.0pt"><span style="font-family:"Times New Roman","serif"">Even though the NEA has declared Nepal free from load shedding, the industries here have been affected by the recent energy crisis.</span></span></span></span></p> <p><span style="font-size:11pt"><span style="font-family:Calibri,"sans-serif""><span style="font-size:12.0pt"><span style="font-family:"Times New Roman","serif"">The production of the industries has dropped to 25/30 per cent due to lack of regular supply of electricity.</span></span></span></span></p> <p><span style="font-size:11pt"><span style="font-family:Calibri,"sans-serif""><span style="font-size:12.0pt"><span style="font-family:"Times New Roman","serif"">“There is power cut for 10/12 hours every day. How is production possible in this way?” an industrialist complained. The supply of electricity to the industries from the NEA's 33 and 11 kV lines is disrupted comparatively less. The industrialists receiving electricity from 66 kV line are more affected.</span></span></span></span></p> <p><span style="font-size:11pt"><span style="font-family:Calibri,"sans-serif""><span style="font-size:12.0pt"><span style="font-family:"Times New Roman","serif"">Chairman of the Birgunj Chamber of Commerce and Industry Subodh Kumar Gupta said that the industries connected to the 66 kV line are experiencing load shedding for 12 hours a day and power tripping 5-6 times a day. Gupta said that there were problems in supply from other transmission lines as well.</span></span></span></span></p> <p><span style="font-size:11pt"><span style="font-family:Calibri,"sans-serif""><span style="font-size:12.0pt"><span style="font-family:"Times New Roman","serif"">"In the last few years, the industries had increased their production capacity due to the easy supply of electricity. But now, they are facing problems due to lack of energy. The industries in this corridor, which is facing energy problems, are now operating at 25-30 per cent of their capacity,” said Gupta.</span></span></span></span></p> <p><span style="font-size:11pt"><span style="font-family:Calibri,"sans-serif""><span style="font-size:12.0pt"><span style="font-family:"Times New Roman","serif"">Suresh Bhattarai, head of the NEA's grid operation department, claims that the current energy shortage is short-lived. According to Bhattarai, Nepal has also been affected by the global energy crisis following Ukraine’s invasion by Russia. </span></span></span></span></p> <p><span style="font-size:11pt"><span style="font-family:Calibri,"sans-serif""><span style="font-size:12.0pt"><span style="font-family:"Times New Roman","serif"">NEA insists that the problem of power cuts is due to excessive load. Bhattarai said that the supply could be disrupted in the future even if there is enough energy if the planned 132 to 400 kV transmission line is not constructed soon.</span></span></span></span></p> <p><span style="font-size:11pt"><span style="font-family:Calibri,"sans-serif""><span style="font-size:12.0pt"><span style="font-family:"Times New Roman","serif"">NEA Birgunj Distribution Center Chief Jitendra Kumar Jha also said that the problem in supply of electricity is mainly due to excessive load in the transmission line.</span></span></span></span></p> <p><span style="font-size:11pt"><span style="font-family:Calibri,"sans-serif""><span style="font-size:12.0pt"><span style="font-family:"Times New Roman","serif"">He said that the Parwanipur-Raxaul 132 kV transmission line has been experiencing frequent power outages due to high load.</span></span></span></span></p> <p><span style="font-size:11pt"><span style="font-family:Calibri,"sans-serif""><span style="font-size:12.0pt"><span style="font-family:"Times New Roman","serif"">Most of the industries in the Bara-Parsa corridor are being supplied electricity from India through this transmission line. About 90 MW of electricity consumed in the corridor comes from this line.</span></span></span></span></p> <p><span style="font-size:11pt"><span style="font-family:Calibri,"sans-serif""><span style="font-size:12.0pt"><span style="font-family:"Times New Roman","serif"">According to Bhattarai, NEA has started construction of additional 132 KV transmission lines in Parwanipur-Raxaul, 400 KV Hetauda-Dhalkebar, 400 KV Hetauda-Inaruwa and 200 KV Hetauda-Bardaghat transmission lines.</span></span></span></span></p> <p><span style="font-size:11pt"><span style="font-family:Calibri,"sans-serif""><span style="font-size:12.0pt"><span style="font-family:"Times New Roman","serif"">Industrialists say that the raw material of industrial establishments get wasted due to frequent power cuts, and electricity tariff is also rising. It has led to an increase in production costs and decline in quality, they say.</span></span></span></span></p> <p> </p> <p><span style="font-size:11pt"><span style="font-family:Calibri,"sans-serif""> </span></span></p> <p> </p> ', 'published' => true, 'created' => '2022-04-22', 'modified' => '2022-04-22', 'keywords' => '', 'description' => '', 'sortorder' => '14888', 'image' => '20220422115047_ffff.jpg', 'article_date' => '2022-04-22 11:50:08', 'homepage' => false, 'breaking_news' => false, 'main_news' => true, 'in_scroller' => false, 'user_id' => '34' ) ), (int) 13 => array( 'Article' => array( 'id' => '15145', 'article_category_id' => '273', 'title' => 'Standard Chartered NewBiz Business Women Summit and Awards 2022 Today', 'sub_title' => '', 'summary' => 'April 21: The final countdown of the Standard Chartered NewBiz Business Women Summit and Awards 2022 will begin at 3 pm today afternoon amid a special function in the capital. ', 'content' => '<p><span style="font-size:12pt"><span style="font-family:"Times New Roman","serif""><span style="font-size:13.5pt"><span style="font-family:"Calibri","sans-serif"">April 21: The final countdown of the Standard Chartered NewBiz Business Women Summit and Awards 2022 will begin at 3 pm today afternoon amid a special function in the capital. The organizer New Business Age Pvt. Ltd. informed that the best 15 women in 8 categories will be honored during the event.</span></span></span></span></p> <p><span style="font-size:12pt"><span style="font-family:"Times New Roman","serif""><span style="font-size:13.5pt"><span style="font-family:"Calibri","sans-serif"">New Business Age had organized various events across the country to promote women entrepreneurship in the run-up to the finale. The awards programme started with two women sharing their entrepreneurial journey. Following the programme, special interactive trainings in hybrid methods on financial literacy, entrepreneurship, time management and capacity development were held in Pokhara, Birgunj and Biratnagar. </span></span></span></span></p> <p><img src="https://drive.google.com/uc?export=view&id=1HT_JlZkcmHxYWA5-zPPfWiV4aWnfCALy" /></p> <p><span style="font-size:12pt"><span style="font-family:"Times New Roman","serif""><span style="font-size:13.5pt"><span style="font-family:"Calibri","sans-serif"">NBA has been conducting such programmes to promote entrepreneurship and business since 2013. The programme to honor women entrepreneurs was initiated in 2021.</span></span></span></span></p> <p><span style="font-size:12pt"><span style="font-family:"Times New Roman","serif""><span style="font-size:13.5pt"><span style="font-family:"Calibri","sans-serif"">This year, the best seven women entrepreneurs from each province will also be honored with Rs 50,000 each. According to the organizers, the process of selecting women entrepreneurs for the honor had started since May last year. A jury comprising independent experts made the final selection of entrepreneurs from more than 2,000 women entrepreneurs.</span></span></span></span></p> <p><span style="font-size:12pt"><span style="font-family:"Times New Roman","serif""><span style="font-size:13.5pt"><span style="font-family:"Calibri","sans-serif"">Standard Chartered Bank is the main sponsor and Muktinath Bikas Bank Limited is the co-sponsor of the Summit and Awards to be held in Kathmandu on April 22. Likewise, the medical partner for the event is Star Hospital. Center for Leadership and Entrepreneurship is the knowledge partner, Turkish Airlines is the airlines partner, Daraz is the ecommerce partner, NECO Insurance Limited is the insurance partner and Dish Home FiberNet is the internet partner.</span></span></span></span></p> <p><span style="font-size:12pt"><span style="font-family:"Times New Roman","serif""><span style="font-size:13.5pt"><span style="font-family:"Calibri","sans-serif"">Similarly, the event is also supported by Agriculture Development Bank, Sipradi Trading, Reliable Life Insurance, Progressive Finance Limited, National Life Insurance, Federation of Women Entrepreneurs Association of Nepal (FWEAN), Federation of Nepalese Chambers of Commerce and Industry (FNCCI) and Nepal Rastra Bank.</span></span></span></span></p> ', 'published' => true, 'created' => '2022-04-22', 'modified' => '2022-04-24', 'keywords' => '', 'description' => '', 'sortorder' => '14887', 'image' => '20220422112228_20220421010649_1650496679.3.jpg', 'article_date' => '2022-04-22 11:21:46', 'homepage' => false, 'breaking_news' => false, 'main_news' => true, 'in_scroller' => false, 'user_id' => '34' ) ), (int) 14 => array( 'Article' => array( 'id' => '15144', 'article_category_id' => '270', 'title' => 'Chinese Ambassador Assures to Help Nepal Export its Products to China ', 'sub_title' => '', 'summary' => 'April 21: Chinese Ambassador to Nepal, Hou Yanqi, has assured of helping Nepal to export its products to China. ', 'content' => '<p><span style="font-size:11pt"><span style="font-family:Calibri,"sans-serif""><span style="font-family:"Arial Unicode MS","sans-serif"">April 21: Chinese Ambassador to Nepal, Hou Yanqi, has assured of helping Nepal to export its products to China. </span><br /> <span style="font-family:"Arial Unicode MS","sans-serif"">Addressing a press meet through virtual means on Thursday, the Chinese Ambassador shared that her country has given high importance to the Nepal's request to resume export to China from the dry port. </span><br /> <span style="font-family:"Arial Unicode MS","sans-serif"">She opined that the officials of the concerned bodies, neighbouring provinces and border dry ports of both sides have been communicating and coordinating to this end. </span><br /> <span style="font-family:"Arial Unicode MS","sans-serif"">Expressing her belief that collaboration between Nepal and China would gain momentum once Nepal's economy and society return to normalcy after COVID-19 pandemic, the Chinese Ambassador said that she was confident that Nepali side would help create free and transparent trade environment, to fully protect the legitimate rights and interest of Chinese enterprises and to resolve their practical problems. </span><br /> <span style="font-family:"Arial Unicode MS","sans-serif"">Responding to queries on resuming direct flights between Nepal and China and facilitating Nepali students to return back to China for higher studies, the ambassador said, “The return of students to schools after the pandemic has remained as a general issue internationally. And, the direct flight between Nepal and China was suspended following the announcement of the Government of Nepal to suspend its international flights as preventive measures against pandemic and the suspension continues till date.” </span><br /> <span style="font-family:"Arial Unicode MS","sans-serif"">Making it clear that the Belt and Road Initiative (BRI) was never a geopolitical strategy, the Chinese ambassador said it is, instead, a project for taking Nepal-like developing countries towards the path of sustainable development and helping promote shared prosperity. -- RSS </span></span></span></p> ', 'published' => true, 'created' => '2022-04-21', 'modified' => '2022-04-21', 'keywords' => '', 'description' => '', 'sortorder' => '14886', 'image' => '20220421055547_131620360_210452010584844_6192150950891783236_n.jpg', 'article_date' => '2022-04-21 17:54:55', 'homepage' => false, 'breaking_news' => false, 'main_news' => true, 'in_scroller' => false, 'user_id' => '34' ) ) ) $current_user = null $logged_in = false $xml = falsesimplexml_load_file - [internal], line ?? include - APP/View/Elements/side_bar.ctp, line 133 View::_evaluate() - CORE/Cake/View/View.php, line 971 View::_render() - CORE/Cake/View/View.php, line 933 View::_renderElement() - CORE/Cake/View/View.php, line 1224 View::element() - CORE/Cake/View/View.php, line 418 include - APP/View/Articles/index.ctp, line 157 View::_evaluate() - CORE/Cake/View/View.php, line 971 View::_render() - CORE/Cake/View/View.php, line 933 View::render() - CORE/Cake/View/View.php, line 473 Controller::render() - CORE/Cake/Controller/Controller.php, line 968 Dispatcher::_invoke() - CORE/Cake/Routing/Dispatcher.php, line 200 Dispatcher::dispatch() - CORE/Cake/Routing/Dispatcher.php, line 167 [main] - APP/webroot/index.php, line 117
| Currency | Unit |
Buy | Sell |
| U.S. Dollar | 1 | 121.23 | 121.83 |
| European Euro | 1 | 131.65 | 132.31 |
| UK Pound Sterling | 1 | 142.47 | 143.18 |
| Swiss Franc | 1 | 124.29 | 124.90 |
| Australian Dollar | 1 | 71.69 | 72.05 |
| Canadian Dollar | 1 | 83.90 | 84.32 |
| Japanese Yen | 10 | 10.94 | 11.00 |
| Chinese Yuan | 1 | 17.17 | 17.26 |
| Saudi Arabian Riyal | 1 | 32.27 | 32.43 |
| UAE Dirham | 1 | 33.01 | 33.17 |
| Malaysian Ringgit | 1 | 27.36 | 27.50 |
| South Korean Won | 100 | 9.77 | 9.82 |
Update: 2020-03-25 | Source: Nepal Rastra Bank (NRB)
| Fine Gold | 1 tola | 77000.00 |
| Tejabi Gold | 1 tola | 76700.00 |
| Silver | 1 tola | 720.00 |
Update : 2020-03-25
Source: Federation of Nepal Gold and Silver Dealers' Association
| Petrol | 1 Liter | 106.00 |
| Diesel | 1 Liter | 95.00 |
| Kerosene | 1 Liter | 95.00 |
| LP Gas | 1 Cylinder | 1375.00 |
Update : 2020-03-25
