May 9: At a time when the country is facing severe crisis due to Covid-19 pandemic, Prime Minister KP Sharma Oli has claimed that the situation is still under…
May 9: At a time when the country is facing severe crisis due to Covid-19 pandemic, Prime Minister KP Sharma Oli has claimed that the situation is still under…
May 9: The Ministry of Culture, Tourism and Civil Aviation has clarified there is no health safety risks at Everest Base Camp.…
The Department of Foreign Employment (DoFE) has started a study into the impact of the second wave of Covid-19 on foreign…
May 7: Nepal Tourism Board (NTB) has set up a Crisis Management and Communication Cell (CMCC) for coordination and rescue of tourists stranded in different parts of the country following the prohibition order imposed by the…
May 7: The government is preparing to announce a budget of Rs 36.23 billion for the agriculture sector in the coming fiscal year (FY…
May 7: Stakeholders of the private sector have said their serious attention has been drawn towards the government’s decision to raise the minimum wage of…
May 7: Political leaders and experts have called for clarity on policies regarding foreign assistance adding that national sovereignty and national interests were above all other considerations, according to the state-owned national news agency RSS.…
May 6: Minister for Finance Bishnu Prasad Poudel has admitted that the second wave of coronavirus has posed a serious threat to the financial future of the country.…
May 6: The Federation of Contractors’ Associations of Nepal (FCAN) has reportedly stated that the construction entrepreneurs and stakeholders are facing difficulties to carry out construction works due to the ongoing prohibitory order issued in the capital and other districts.…
May 6: The Office of the Prime Minister and Council of Ministers has prepared the draft of the policies and programmes for the upcoming fiscal year (FY…
May 6: Private sector employers have expressed dissatisfaction over the government's decision to raise the minimum salary of workers to be implemented from the start of the upcoming fiscal…
May 5: The Asia and the Pacific region can emerge from the coronavirus disease (COVID-19) pandemic “even stronger than before” by focusing on five areas to help achieve a prosperous, inclusive, resilient, and sustainable…
May 5: Maize planted in 67 districts across the country have been overwhelmed by fall armyworms.…
May 5: The Asian Development Bank (ADB) on Monday (May 3) launched the Asia Pacific Tax…
May 5: The district administration offices in the Kathmandu valley have decided to extend the ongoing prohibitory order by one more…
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Social media was abuzz the whole day with criticism of PM Oli for his remark as the crisis was deepening across the country. Critics said that the prime minister lost an opportunity to seek international support by giving a false statement. They were of the view that Oli should have given the real picture and that could have helped the government receive foreign assistance to fight the pandemic.</span></span></span></span></p> <p><span style="font-size:10pt"><span style="font-family:Times"><span style="font-size:14.0pt"><span style="font-family:"Arial Unicode MS"">During the interview, PM Oli said that the first wave of coronavirus had come under control but there was an outbreak of second wave due to the negligence of the public.</span></span></span></span></p> <p><span style="font-size:10pt"><span style="font-family:Times"><span style="font-size:14.0pt"><span style="font-family:"Arial Unicode MS"">“We had brought the infection under control last year. The death toll had dropped to zero. New infection was below 50 per day. But the general people thought that the pandemic had ended and were negligent. That caused the second wave of coronavirus,” PM Oli told CNN.</span></span></span></span></p> <p><span style="font-size:10pt"><span style="font-family:Times"><span style="font-size:14.0pt"><span style="font-family:"Arial Unicode MS"">“We have mobilized all our mechanisms to bring the situation under control,” he added.</span></span></span></span></p> <p><span style="font-size:10pt"><span style="font-family:Times"><span style="font-size:14.0pt"><span style="font-family:"Arial Unicode MS"">The prime minister further said that the government has been busy in creating awareness among the people to save lives. Although the prime minister maintained that the situation was under control, the health ministry had recently said that the rate of infection is rising at an alarming rate and that the health facilities of the country were not able to cope with the situation.</span></span></span></span></p> <p><span style="font-size:10pt"><span style="font-family:Times"><span style="font-size:14.0pt"><span style="font-family:"Arial Unicode MS"">According to the data provided by the ministry, a total of 53 people died due to the disease across the country on Saturday alone. Daily infection has climbed above 8,000 while the number of active cases is almost 100,000.</span></span></span></span></p> <p> </p> ', 'published' => true, 'created' => '2021-05-09', 'modified' => '2021-05-09', 'keywords' => '', 'description' => '', 'sortorder' => '13108', 'image' => '20210509121210_1620516771.Clipboard12.jpg', 'article_date' => '2021-05-09 12:11:20', 'homepage' => false, 'breaking_news' => false, 'main_news' => true, 'in_scroller' => null, 'user_id' => '34' ) ), (int) 1 => array( 'Article' => array( 'id' => '13362', 'article_category_id' => '1', 'title' => 'No Infection at Everest Base Camp: Tourism Ministry', 'sub_title' => '', 'summary' => 'May 9: The Ministry of Culture, Tourism and Civil Aviation has clarified there is no health safety risks at Everest Base Camp. ', 'content' => '<p><span style="font-size:11pt"><span style="font-family:Cambria"><span style="font-size:14.0pt"><span style="font-family:"Arial Unicode MS"">May 9: The Ministry of Culture, Tourism and Civil Aviation has clarified there is no health safety risks at Everest Base Camp. </span></span></span></span></p> <p><span style="font-size:11pt"><span style="font-family:Cambria"><strong><span style="font-size:14.0pt"><span style="font-family:"Arial Unicode MS"">T</span></span></strong><span style="font-size:14.0pt"><span style="font-family:"Arial Unicode MS"">he ministry said in a statement that its attention has been drawn towards the recent news reports that some members of the Everest expedition teams for the spring season had tested positive for Covid-19, raising fears of a serious outbreak. </span></span><br /> <span style="font-size:14.0pt"><span style="font-family:"Arial Unicode MS"">“There is no such risk at Everest Base Camp as claimed by some media,’’ the state-owned national news agency RSS reported citing the ministry.</span></span></span></span></p> <p><span style="font-size:11pt"><span style="font-family:Cambria"><span style="font-size:14.0pt"><span style="font-family:"Arial Unicode MS"">Some domestic and international media recently published reports claiming that the virus had spread at the base camp and climbers faced great risk of infection. </span></span><br /> <span style="font-size:14.0pt"><span style="font-family:"Arial Unicode MS"">According to the ministry, 774 people of 86 expedition teams from 79 countries have acquired permission for climbing Everest this season and they all have followed the health safety protocols to the possible extent.</span></span></span></span></p> <p><span style="font-size:11pt"><span style="font-family:Cambria"><span style="font-size:14.0pt"><span style="font-family:"Arial Unicode MS"">Spokesperson of the ministry, Taranath Adhikari, said that a liaison officer has been mobilized to oversee activities of each expedition team and report any important incident and information relating to the pandemic. </span></span></span></span></p> <p><span style="font-size:11pt"><span style="font-family:Cambria"><span style="font-size:14.0pt"><span style="font-family:"Arial Unicode MS"">“Based on the available information, we can say there is no such infection risk at Everest Base Camp as reported in media,” he said. </span></span><br /> <span style="font-size:14.0pt"><span style="font-family:"Arial Unicode MS"">The ministry has urged one and all not to entertain and disseminate unreliable and unverified information, creating fears among members of the expedition teams and their families and to follow information provided by official sources. </span></span><br /> <span style="font-size:14.0pt"><span style="font-family:"Arial Unicode MS"">A Covid-19 crisis facilitation and coordination unit has been formed under the coordination of joint-secretary Buddisagar Lamichhane to make arrangements for the rescue of any climber and trekker in adverse situation and escort her/him to the destination safely. </span></span><br /> <span style="font-size:14.0pt"><span style="font-family:"Arial Unicode MS"">The climbing for this season has officially kicked off with Kami Rita Sherpa successfully reaching the top of Everest at 18:00 pm on Friday (May 7) as a leader of rope fixing team, along with 11 other Sherpas (icefall doctors). This is a record 25th ascent of Everest by Kami Rita Sherpa. </span></span></span></span></p> ', 'published' => true, 'created' => '2021-05-09', 'modified' => '2021-05-09', 'keywords' => '', 'description' => '', 'sortorder' => '13107', 'image' => '20210509114233_20210219104343_20201108030120_Contribution of Mountains to the Tourism Economy_1.jpg', 'article_date' => '2021-05-09 11:41:47', 'homepage' => false, 'breaking_news' => false, 'main_news' => true, 'in_scroller' => null, 'user_id' => '34' ) ), (int) 2 => array( 'Article' => array( 'id' => '13360', 'article_category_id' => '1', 'title' => 'Govt conducting study on impacts of Covid-19 on foreign employment', 'sub_title' => '', 'summary' => 'The Department of Foreign Employment (DoFE) has started a study into the impact of the second wave of Covid-19 on foreign employment. ', 'content' => '<p>May 8: The Department of Foreign Employment (DoFE) has started a study into the impact of the second wave of Covid-19 on foreign employment. </p> <p>Krishna Prasad Dawadi, Director General of the DoFE, said that the department is carrying out a study on the impact of Covid-19 on foreign employment sector in collaboration with the Ministry of Foreign Affairs (MoFA) and associations of recruiting firms.</p> <p>The department has requested the MoFA and associations of manpower companies to collect data of workers affected by the Covid-19 as well as other details on the impact of the pandemic on foreign employment from the respective embassies of the labor destination countries, according to Dawadi. </p> <p>He said that they have sought details on the Covid-19 situation in the destination countries, impact of pandemic on Nepali workers working abroad and their current condition. </p> <p>Following the outbreak of the second wave of Covid-19, the number of Nepali workers going for foreign employment has been falling in line with a decline in the demand for workers from labor receiving countries. <br /> “Since the international flights were suspended from May 6, the number of migrant workers leaving for foreign employment on Wednesday and Thursday was the highest if compared to the average number of workers leaving the country in recent months. However, the number of Nepali workers going abroad was already on a declining trend," said Dawadi.</p> <p>“We cannot say for sure that the second wave of the Covid-19 is the cause for the decline. So, we have decided to conduct the study,” he said. </p> <p>According to Dawadi, the study would help the government to understand how Nepali workers are impacted by the Covid-19 while working abroad as well as come up with relief and other necessary support to them. </p> <p>Foreign employment was severely affected by the first wave of Covid-19 and subsequent containment measures including the lockdown imposed in Nepal and destination countries. Thousands of Nepali workers were unable to go for foreign employment while many people returned home after losing their jobs abroad. <br /> The demand for workers was gradually increasing after the effects of Covid-19 started to subside. However, the unfolding Covid-19 crisis is once again hitting the foreign employment sector. <br /> Though international flights have been suspended, the department has not stopped distribution of work permits. The DoFE has started online services to issue work permits to Nepali workers to go for foreign employment. According to Dawadi, the DoFE has not stopped issuing work permits to avoid a backlog of applications for work permits and ensure that the department is not crowded with workers after the ongoing prohibitory period ends. <br /> </p> ', 'published' => true, 'created' => '2021-05-08', 'modified' => '2021-05-08', 'keywords' => '', 'description' => '', 'sortorder' => '13105', 'image' => '20210508021733_Foreign Employment.jpg', 'article_date' => '2021-05-08 14:45:41', 'homepage' => true, 'breaking_news' => false, 'main_news' => true, 'in_scroller' => true, 'user_id' => '35' ) ), (int) 3 => array( 'Article' => array( 'id' => '13359', 'article_category_id' => '1', 'title' => 'NTB Sets up Crisis Management and Communication Cell to Rescue Tourists', 'sub_title' => '', 'summary' => 'May 7: Nepal Tourism Board (NTB) has set up a Crisis Management and Communication Cell (CMCC) for coordination and rescue of tourists stranded in different parts of the country following the prohibition order imposed by the government.', 'content' => '<p><span style="font-size:12pt"><span style="font-family:Cambria">May 7: Nepal Tourism Board (NTB) has set up a Crisis Management and Communication Cell (CMCC) for coordination and rescue of tourists stranded in different parts of the country following the prohibition order imposed by the government.<br /> The CMCC will facilitate in rescue and coordination of tourists and also monitor and manage hotel quarantine for passengers coming to Nepal from India under the Nepal-India air bubble agreement.<br /> Accordingly, CMCC has rescued 11 foreigners from Langtang, 4 Ukrainians from Pokhara, and 2 Americans from Lukla and brought them to Kathmandu. Similarly, as per the decision of the Ministry of Culture, Tourism and Civil Aviation dated April 21, the tourism board has prepared hotel quarantine criteria for air passengers and facilitated them by liaising and coordinating with the hotels listed by the Ministry.<br /> The board has set up hotlines and emails (Hotline: 9851252666, Email:<br /> <a href="mailto:crisiscell@ntb.org.np" style="color:blue; text-decoration:underline">crisiscell@ntb.org.np</a>, website:-<a href="http://www.welcomenepal.com/plan-your-trip/covid-19" style="color:blue; text-decoration:underline">www.welcomenepal.com/plan-your-trip/covid-19</a>) to ensure that no tourist is stranded due to lack of necessary information during the pandemic.</span></span><br /> <br /> </p> ', 'published' => true, 'created' => '2021-05-07', 'modified' => '2021-05-07', 'keywords' => '', 'description' => '', 'sortorder' => '13104', 'image' => '20210507054326_202009.jpg', 'article_date' => '2021-05-07 17:42:36', 'homepage' => false, 'breaking_news' => false, 'main_news' => true, 'in_scroller' => null, 'user_id' => '34' ) ), (int) 4 => array( 'Article' => array( 'id' => '13358', 'article_category_id' => '1', 'title' => 'Government Likely to Announce Agriculture Budget of 36.23 Billion', 'sub_title' => '', 'summary' => 'May 7: The government is preparing to announce a budget of Rs 36.23 billion for the agriculture sector in the coming fiscal year (FY 2021/21).', 'content' => '<p><span style="font-size:12pt"><span style="font-family:Cambria"><span style="font-size:14.0pt"><span style="font-family:Times">May 7: The government is preparing to announce a budget of Rs 36.23 billion for the agriculture sector in the coming fiscal year (FY 2021/21). The proposed budget is less than the budget allocated in the current fiscal year by Rs 5 billion.<br /> Last year, the government had allocated a budget of Rs 41.40 billion for the agriculture sector. Based on the ceiling set by the Ministry of Finance, the Ministry of Agriculture and Livestock Development is currently drafting the budget for the agriculture sector.<br /> During a virtual programme on 'Coronavirus Pandemic and Agriculture Budget' organized by the Association of Agricultural Journalists (ANAJ) on Thursday, May 6, Joint Secretary of the Ministry of Agriculture and Livestock Development and Head of the Planning Branch Dr Hari Bahadur KC said that the ministry is preparing a budget of Rs 36.23 billion for the agriculture sector in the coming fiscal year.<br /> Out of the total budget for the agriculture sector, about 25 percent of the budget will be allocated for chemical fertilizers. KC said that a large amount of money had to be allocated for chemical fertilizer which is a major need for agricultural production.<br /> Likewise, Rs 3.21 billion will be spent on the Prime Minister's Agriculture Modernization Project, and more than Rs 3 billion on the Nepal Agricultural Research Institute (NARC).<br /> Similarly, Rs 3 billion has also been allocated for the Department of Agriculture and the Department of Animal Husbandry. A total of Rs 14 billion has been allocated under the subsidy heading, of which Rs 15 million will be allocated for various types of agricultural insurance and Rs 1 billion for sugarcane farmers. Likewise, Rs 8 billion has been allocated for the local and state governments, while Rs 1.60 billion will be allocated for financial budget management.<br /> The budget also emphasizes formulating the organic manure mission programme, digital soil mapping, and increasing the scope of soil testing. Likewise, the government plans to set up as many as 100 fruit nurseries, make fisheries self-reliant, and increase milk production and improve its distribution and storage systems. For that, plans have been made to build a powdered milk factory in Kohalpur and milk storage facilities in Biratnagar and Bhairahawa.</span></span></span></span></p> <p> </p> <p> </p> ', 'published' => true, 'created' => '2021-05-07', 'modified' => '2021-05-07', 'keywords' => '', 'description' => '', 'sortorder' => '13103', 'image' => '20210507033217_1620343279.2.jpg', 'article_date' => '2021-05-07 15:31:44', 'homepage' => false, 'breaking_news' => false, 'main_news' => true, 'in_scroller' => null, 'user_id' => '34' ) ), (int) 5 => array( 'Article' => array( 'id' => '13357', 'article_category_id' => '1', 'title' => 'Private Sector ‘Surprised’ by Government’s Decision to Increase Minimum Wage of Workers ', 'sub_title' => '', 'summary' => 'May 7: Stakeholders of the private sector have said their serious attention has been drawn towards the government’s decision to raise the minimum wage of workers.', 'content' => '<p><span style="font-size:11pt"><span style="font-family:Cambria"><span style="font-size:14.0pt"><span style="font-family:"Arial Unicode MS"">May 7: Stakeholders of the private sector have said their serious attention has been drawn towards the government’s decision to raise the minimum wage of workers.</span></span></span></span></p> <p><span style="font-size:11pt"><span style="font-family:Cambria"><span style="font-size:14.0pt"><span style="font-family:"Arial Unicode MS"">The Federation of Nepali Chamber of Commerce and Industries (FNCCI), Confederation of Nepalese Industries (CNI) and Nepal Chamber of Commerce (NCC) have said that the minimum wage fixed by the government of workers would be difficult to implement owing to the current crisis of Covid-19. </span></span><br /> <span style="font-size:14.0pt"><span style="font-family:"Arial Unicode MS"">Issuing a joint press statement here today, the umbrella bodies of entrepreneurs in the country have urged the government not to interfere in the process of determining wages for the labourers. </span></span></span></span></p> <p><span style="font-size:11pt"><span style="font-family:Cambria"><span style="font-size:14.0pt"><span style="font-family:"Arial Unicode MS"">In a notice published on the Nepal Gazette on May 3, the government had raised the minimum wage of workers effective from the upcoming fiscal year. As per the decision, employers have to pay a labourer a minimum wage of Rs 15,000 per month from the next fiscal year. </span></span><br /> <span style="font-size:14.0pt"><span style="font-family:"Arial Unicode MS"">The organizations have said that the partial and full prohibitory order enforced in 56 districts in the country to contain the second wave of Covid-19 had affected over 700,000 enterprises. They were of the view that the private sector enterprises might not be able to pay regular wages in such a situation.</span></span></span></span></p> <p><span style="font-size:11pt"><span style="font-family:Cambria"><span style="font-size:14.0pt"><span style="font-family:"Arial Unicode MS"">The statement added that the private sector has been struggling to meet the daily expenses as the prohibitory orders have been extended by the government. In such a situation, they expressed surprise at the government’s decision to increase the minimum wage of workers. </span></span><br /> <span style="font-size:14.0pt"><span style="font-family:"Arial Unicode MS"">At a time when the small and medium scale enterprises have been hardest hit due to the health crisis, the organizations, through the press statement, have appealed to the government not to interfere in the determination of the minimum wages of the workers. They said that they will decide the matter on the basis of mutual understanding. </span></span></span></span><br /> </p> <p> </p> ', 'published' => true, 'created' => '2021-05-07', 'modified' => '2021-05-07', 'keywords' => '', 'description' => '', 'sortorder' => '13102', 'image' => '20210507123102_1620290616.jpg', 'article_date' => '2021-05-07 12:30:11', 'homepage' => false, 'breaking_news' => false, 'main_news' => true, 'in_scroller' => null, 'user_id' => '34' ) ), (int) 6 => array( 'Article' => array( 'id' => '13356', 'article_category_id' => '1', 'title' => 'Leaders and Experts Share Mixed Views on MCC ', 'sub_title' => '', 'summary' => 'May 7: Political leaders and experts have called for clarity on policies regarding foreign assistance adding that national sovereignty and national interests were above all other considerations, according to the state-owned national news agency RSS. ', 'content' => '<p><span style="font-size:11pt"><span style="font-family:Cambria"><span style="font-family:"Arial Unicode MS"">May 7: Political leaders and experts have called for clarity on policies regarding foreign assistance adding that national sovereignty and national interests were above all other considerations, according to the state-owned national news agency RSS. </span><br /> <span style="font-family:"Arial Unicode MS"">Speaking at a recent programme, the politicians expressed diverse views over the Millennium Challenge Corporation (MCC) and ratification of the MCC Compact from the parliament. </span><br /> <span style="font-family:"Arial Unicode MS"">During the virtual programme organized by Friends of Silk Road and Nepal China Friendship Forum on Thursday, former Deputy Prime Minister and Defense Minister Bhim Rawal took exception to some of the points of MCC agreement. </span><br /> <span style="font-family:"Arial Unicode MS"">Rawal reiterated that the some issues of MCC should be amended otherwise the parliament should not ratify it, RSS reported. </span><br /> <span style="font-family:"Arial Unicode MS"">However, former Foreign Affairs Minister and Nepali Congress leader Dr Prakash Sharan Mahat praised the MCC Compact stating that the MCC Board is chaired by Secretary of the Finance Ministry to facilitate the timely completion of projects and it is in Nepal’s national interest. </span><br /> <span style="font-family:"Arial Unicode MS"">Dr Mahat was of the view that the grant received under the MCC would be mobilized as per Nepal’s laws. According to RSS, Mahat added that the MCC in Nepal was brought into controversy due to misleading information and propaganda. </span><br /> <span style="font-family:"Arial Unicode MS"">Likewise, Gyanendra Lal Pradhan of the Confederation of Nepalese Industries backed the MCC stating that it is more focused on development of infrastructures and it has nothing to do with politics. He argued that power grid is important in Nepal and added that electricity price will go up in Nepal if the transmission lines were not completed.</span></span></span></p> <p><span style="font-size:11pt"><span style="font-family:Cambria"><span style="font-family:"Arial Unicode MS"">President of Friend of Silk Road Dr Kalyan Raj Sharma said that the programme was organised to inform the people and welcome healthy discussions of stakeholders and experts. </span></span></span></p> ', 'published' => true, 'created' => '2021-05-07', 'modified' => '2021-05-07', 'keywords' => '', 'description' => '', 'sortorder' => '13101', 'image' => '20210507114916_20200914112314_1600032154.2.jpg', 'article_date' => '2021-05-07 11:48:43', 'homepage' => false, 'breaking_news' => false, 'main_news' => true, 'in_scroller' => null, 'user_id' => '34' ) ), (int) 7 => array( 'Article' => array( 'id' => '13355', 'article_category_id' => '1', 'title' => 'Financial Picture Challenging due to Covid-19, says Finance Minister ', 'sub_title' => '', 'summary' => 'May 6: Minister for Finance Bishnu Prasad Poudel has admitted that the second wave of coronavirus has posed a serious threat to the financial future of the country. ', 'content' => '<p><span style="font-size:16px"><span style="font-family:Cambria"><span style="font-family:"Arial Unicode MS"">May 6: Minister for Finance Bishnu Prasad Poudel has admitted that the second wave of coronavirus has posed a serious threat to the financial future of the country. </span><br /> <span style="font-family:"Arial Unicode MS"">Addressing an informal meeting of the SAARC Finance Ministers virtually on Wednesday (May 5), Minister Poudel said, “We have faced obstacle to achieve financial growth due to the multifaceted effects of Covid-19 in inclusive and sustainable development.” </span><br /> <span style="font-family:"Arial Unicode MS"">In the virtual meeting held on the sidelines of the 54th Annual Meeting of the Asian Development Bank (ADB), Poudel reiterated that although utmost efforts were made to bring the situation under control by uplifting the economy, the current circumstances have painted a grim picture of Nepal's economy. </span><br /> <span style="font-family:"Arial Unicode MS"">Stating that the outbreak of second wave of Covid-19 had caused a huge setback to the economy of Nepal, Minister Poudel said that the tourism sector and other service sectors were most affected by the pandemic. </span><br /> <span style="font-family:"Arial Unicode MS"">The adverse effects of Covid-19 has been reflected in the cut down in jobs, lay-offs of the employees, loss in business among others, argued the Minister. He added that Covid-19 had posed challenges for efforts aimed at promoting inclusiveness, human development and alleviating poverty. </span><br /> <span style="font-family:"Arial Unicode MS"">The Minister also expressed his view that it was imperative to ensure that all the countries had access to procure the vaccines against coronavirus. On the occasion, he extended gratefulness towards the government of India for providing vaccines against Covid-19 and said that it had enabled launching of vaccination drive in the SAARC region. </span><br /> <span style="font-family:"Arial Unicode MS"">He pressed for formulating policies and strategies by all the SAARC-member nations to cushion the effects of Covid-19 on the SAARC region’s economy and to promote local production in the developing nations of the region. </span><br /> <span style="font-family:"Arial Unicode MS"">During the meeting, Minister Poudel extended his thankfulness to the ADB for its financial and technical support to Nepal in its covid-19 response and efforts to promote economic activities. </span><br /> <span style="font-family:"Arial Unicode MS"">The finance ministers of SAARC and delegates had univocally underscored the need for mutual cooperation for socio-economic recovery to cushion the effect of Covid-19 on the economy of SAARC region. -- RSS</span></span></span></p> ', 'published' => true, 'created' => '2021-05-06', 'modified' => '2021-05-06', 'keywords' => '', 'description' => '', 'sortorder' => '13100', 'image' => '20210506032215_20210110034934_1610265858.jpg', 'article_date' => '2021-05-06 15:20:47', 'homepage' => false, 'breaking_news' => false, 'main_news' => true, 'in_scroller' => null, 'user_id' => '34' ) ), (int) 8 => array( 'Article' => array( 'id' => '13354', 'article_category_id' => '1', 'title' => 'Supply Chain of Construction Materials Affected: FCAN', 'sub_title' => '', 'summary' => 'May 6: The Federation of Contractors’ Associations of Nepal (FCAN) has reportedly stated that the construction entrepreneurs and stakeholders are facing difficulties to carry out construction works due to the ongoing prohibitory order issued in the capital and other districts. ', 'content' => '<p><span style="font-size:11pt"><span style="font-family:Cambria"><span style="font-family:"Arial Unicode MS"">May 6: The Federation of Contractors’ Associations of Nepal (FCAN) has reportedly stated that the construction entrepreneurs and stakeholders are facing difficulties to carry out construction works due to the ongoing prohibitory order issued in the capital and other districts. </span><br /> <span style="font-family:"Arial Unicode MS"">The FCAN said in a statement that the movement of vehicles supplying construction materials have been obstructed in different places, and are not given an easy access by security forces. </span></span></span></p> <p><span style="font-size:11pt"><span style="font-family:Cambria"><span style="font-family:"Arial Unicode MS"">Although factories are producing construction materials, the supply chain and availability of the produced goods have been badly affected as dealers and distributors have not been allowed to operate their business, FCAN noted. </span><br /> <span style="font-family:"Arial Unicode MS"">The statement further says that FCAN’s attention was drawn seriously to the unusual price hike of construction materials during the time of prohibitory order. </span><br /> <span style="font-family:"Arial Unicode MS"">The statement issued by general secretary of FCAN Roshan Dahal also added that construction work is likely to be affected in densely-populated areas and some other construction sites. </span></span></span><br /> </p> ', 'published' => true, 'created' => '2021-05-06', 'modified' => '2021-05-06', 'keywords' => '', 'description' => '', 'sortorder' => '13099', 'image' => '20210506031251_20200415125719_1586906108.jpg', 'article_date' => '2021-05-06 15:12:14', 'homepage' => false, 'breaking_news' => false, 'main_news' => true, 'in_scroller' => null, 'user_id' => '34' ) ), (int) 9 => array( 'Article' => array( 'id' => '13353', 'article_category_id' => '1', 'title' => 'Government Prepares Draft of Policies and Programmes ', 'sub_title' => '', 'summary' => 'May 6: The Office of the Prime Minister and Council of Ministers has prepared the draft of the policies and programmes for the upcoming fiscal year (FY 2021/22).', 'content' => '<p><span style="font-size:12pt"><span style="font-family:Cambria"><span style="font-size:11.0pt"><span style="font-family:Arial">May 6: The Office of the Prime Minister and Council of Ministers has prepared the draft of the policies and programmes for the upcoming fiscal year (FY 2021/22).</span></span></span></span></p> <p><span style="font-size:12pt"><span style="font-family:Cambria"><span style="font-size:11.0pt"><span style="font-family:Arial">Government officials confirmed that the draft of the policies and programmes has been prepared and will be presented at a joint session of the House of Representatives and National Assembly by President Bidhya Devi Bhandari on behalf of the government. As per the constitutional provision, the fiscal budget should be presented on the 15th day in the month of Jestha (May 29). The policies and programmes should be presented before the budget. However, the budget session has already been delayed this time.</span></span></span></span></p> <p><span style="font-size:12pt"><span style="font-family:Cambria"> <span style="font-size:11.0pt"><span style="font-family:Arial">Spokesperson of the Parliament Secretariat, Rojnath Pandey, said that all preparations for the budget session has been made but it is not certain when the policies and programmes will be tabled in the parliament as the budget session has not been called yet. A special session of parliament has been called for May 10 to seek vote of confidence by Prime Minister KP Oli.</span></span></span></span></p> <p><span style="font-size:12pt"><span style="font-family:Cambria"><span style="font-size:11.0pt"><span style="font-family:Arial">According to a senior official involved in preparing the draft of the policies and programmes, the government has given priority to the construction of state-of-the-art hospitals at every local level. Similarly, relief packages will be introduced for the industries affected by COVID-19 pandemic and programmes will be included to expedite the development process.</span></span></span></span></p> <p><span style="font-size:12pt"><span style="font-family:Cambria"><span style="font-size:11.0pt"><span style="font-family:Arial">The policies and programmes will also focus on increasing economic activities, invest in the productive sector, prioritize internal resource mobilization and reduce unnecessary expenses in light of the COVID-19 crisis.</span></span></span></span></p> <p><span style="font-size:12pt"><span style="font-family:Cambria"><span style="font-size:11.0pt"><span style="font-family:Arial">According to the official, the policies and programmes have prioritized commercial farming, industrial development and increasing productivity, completion of national pride projects within the deadline.</span></span></span></span></p> <p><span style="font-size:12pt"><span style="font-family:Cambria"><span style="font-size:11.0pt"><span style="font-family:Arial">The government is set to announce an increase in old-age allowance so that elderly people can look after themselves and implement the new minimum salary strictly from mid-July. The government is also preparing to introduce incentives for innovation, special discounts for export-oriented industries, special emphasis on the Digital Nepal campaign, and additional employment generation programmes through the Prime Minister's Employment Programme.</span></span></span></span></p> <p><span style="font-size:12pt"><span style="font-family:Cambria"><span style="font-size:11.0pt"><span style="font-family:Arial">In the mid-February, Chief Secretary Shankar Das Bairagi had instructed the secretaries to prepare policies and programs that are worthy of implementation. He had also instructed them to formulate policies and programs by holding necessary discussions to avoid duplication with the local level programmes.</span></span></span></span></p> <p> </p> ', 'published' => true, 'created' => '2021-05-06', 'modified' => '2021-05-06', 'keywords' => '', 'description' => '', 'sortorder' => '13098', 'image' => '20210506025841_20210409035508_20200409120151_1586383527.jpg', 'article_date' => '2021-05-06 14:51:58', 'homepage' => false, 'breaking_news' => false, 'main_news' => true, 'in_scroller' => null, 'user_id' => '34' ) ), (int) 10 => array( 'Article' => array( 'id' => '13352', 'article_category_id' => '1', 'title' => 'Employers Unhappy Over Government’s Decision to Raise Minimum Wage', 'sub_title' => '', 'summary' => 'May 6: Private sector employers have expressed dissatisfaction over the government's decision to raise the minimum salary of workers to be implemented from the start of the upcoming fiscal year.', 'content' => '<p><span style="font-size:12pt"><span style="font-family:Cambria"><span style="font-size:11.0pt"><span style="font-family:Arial">May 6: Private sector employers have expressed dissatisfaction over the government's decision to raise the minimum salary of workers to be implemented from the start of the upcoming fiscal year.</span></span></span></span></p> <p><span style="font-size:12pt"><span style="font-family:Cambria"><span style="font-size:11.0pt"><span style="font-family:Arial">Employers are dissatisfied that the government has taken a unilateral decision amidst this crisis when employers are concerned about sustaining business and providing salary to the current employees.</span></span></span></span></p> <p><span style="font-size:12pt"><span style="font-family:Cambria"><span style="font-size:11.0pt"><span style="font-family:Arial">The Ministry of Labour, Employment and Social Security had issued a notice on Nepal Gazette on May 4, fixing the minimum wage. Since then, umbrella organization of employees and employers have come forward with various views.</span></span></span></span></p> <p><span style="font-size:12pt"><span style="font-family:Cambria"><span style="font-size:11.0pt"><span style="font-family:Arial">The Labor Act requires the minimum wage be fixed on a monthly, daily and hourly basis in every two years. In the Fiscal Year 2018/19, the minimum salary was raised to Rs 13,450 but in the Fiscal Year 2019/20 and the current fiscal year, the minimum wage was not increased. </span></span></span></span></p> <p><span style="font-size:12pt"><span style="font-family:Cambria"><span style="font-size:11.0pt"><span style="font-family:Arial">According to the Nepal Gazette, the increased salary will be implemented from mid-July of Fiscal Year 2021/22. As soon as this notice was published, the private sector expressed dissatisfaction. The umbrella organization of the private sector has engaged in discussions to publish their formal statement.</span></span></span></span></p> <p><span style="font-size:12pt"><span style="font-family:Cambria"> </span></span><span style="font-size:12pt"><span style="font-family:Cambria"><span style="font-size:11.0pt"><span style="font-family:Arial">Shekhar Golchha, president of the Federation of Nepalese Chambers of Commerce and Industry (FNCCI) said that the government's decision has disappointed them. No discussions have been held with the FNCCI though it is the primary organization concerned with the decision. </span></span></span></span></p> <p><span style="font-size:12pt"><span style="font-family:Cambria"><span style="font-size:11.0pt"><span style="font-family:Arial">He said that the focus should be on how to secure current employment rather than on increasing minimum wages. "It may be reasonable according to the Act, but this is not the right time to raise the minimum wage, since we are in the middle of a global crisis," Golchha said.</span></span></span></span></p> <p><span style="font-size:12pt"><span style="font-family:Cambria"><span style="font-size:11.0pt"><span style="font-family:Arial">Rajesh Agrawal, vice president of the Confederation of Nepalese Industries (CNI) said it is not possible to implement the new wages. He said that it is not certain how long the prohibitory orders will be enforced so the announcement of increasing wages has disappointed them during this difficult time. </span></span></span></span></p> <p><span style="font-size:12pt"><span style="font-family:Cambria"><span style="font-size:11.0pt"><span style="font-family:Arial">Binod Kumar Shrestha, president of the General Federation of Nepalese Trade Union (GEFONT) said the new increased salary must be implemented from mid-July. He stressed on the need to implement the provision rather than debating whether it is the right time to raise the wages. He added that the increased salary is still low considering the current rate of inflation. Employers have been receiving various tax waivers from the government due to the impact of COVID-19. </span></span></span></span></p> <p><span style="font-size:12pt"><span style="font-family:Cambria"><span style="font-size:11.0pt"><span style="font-family:Arial">Despite the COVID-19 pandemic, most of the industries are performing well so they can't deny to provide the increased salary. </span></span></span></span></p> <p><span style="font-size:12pt"><span style="font-family:Cambria"><span style="font-size:11.0pt"><span style="font-family:Arial">"Instead of every two years, salary has been raised in three years so it is not right to express dissatisfaction over the decision. It is not reasonable to say they will not be able to provide the salary on the pretext of COVID-19 pandemic,” said Shrestha.</span></span></span></span></p> <p><span style="font-size:12pt"><span style="font-family:Cambria"><span style="font-size:11.0pt"><span style="font-family:Arial">Amidst the COVID-19 pandemic, most of the industries are doing well while many of them like five-star hotels are struggling. Employees of those hotels are still working for a meager salary of Rs 3000 to Rs 5000 per month, said Shrestha. The raised salary of Rs 15,000 includes basic salary and inflation allowance.</span></span></span></span></p> <p><span style="font-size:12pt"><span style="font-family:Cambria"><span style="font-size:11.0pt"><span style="font-family:Arial">Meanwhile, the daily wage of a worker has been increased to Rs 577 while the hourly wage has been increased to Rs 77 from Rs 48.</span></span></span></span></p> <p> </p> ', 'published' => true, 'created' => '2021-05-06', 'modified' => '2021-05-06', 'keywords' => '', 'description' => '', 'sortorder' => '13097', 'image' => '20210506120318_minimum.jpg', 'article_date' => '2021-05-06 12:01:49', 'homepage' => false, 'breaking_news' => false, 'main_news' => true, 'in_scroller' => null, 'user_id' => '34' ) ), (int) 11 => array( 'Article' => array( 'id' => '13351', 'article_category_id' => '1', 'title' => 'Asia-Pacific Can Emerge From Pandemic Stronger Than Before: ADB President', 'sub_title' => '', 'summary' => 'May 5: The Asia and the Pacific region can emerge from the coronavirus disease (COVID-19) pandemic “even stronger than before” by focusing on five areas to help achieve a prosperous, inclusive, resilient, and sustainable future.', 'content' => '<p><span style="font-size:12pt"><span style="font-family:Cambria"><span style="font-family:Times">May 5: The Asia and the Pacific region can emerge from the coronavirus disease (COVID-19) pandemic “even stronger than before” by focusing on five areas to help achieve a prosperous, inclusive, resilient, and sustainable future, according to the President of the Asian Development Bank (ADB) President Masatsugu Asakawa.</span></span></span></p> <p><span style="font-size:12pt"><span style="font-family:Cambria"><span style="font-family:Times">In his remarks to the ADB Board of Governors at its 54<sup>th</sup> annual meeting on Wednesday, May 5, Asakawa said that he believes “the path we have laid out” will help lead our region out of these uncertain times.</span></span></span></p> <p><span style="font-size:12pt"><span style="font-family:Cambria"><span style="font-family:Times">“We will continue to deliver ADB’s unique synergy of finance, knowledge, and partnerships. And we will prioritize the quality of our assistance over quantity, meeting near-term needs with a clear vision for the future. If we stay on this course, I am confident the region will emerge from the current crisis even stronger than before,” he said.</span></span></span></p> <p><span style="font-size:12pt"><span style="font-family:Cambria"><span style="font-family:Times">According to a press statement issued by ADB, Asakawa outlined a five-point agenda for the region covering areas critical to achieving a lasting and equitable recovery for Asia and the Pacific:</span></span></span></p> <ul> <li><span style="font-size:12pt"><span style="font-family:Cambria"><span style="font-family:Times">Place ambitious climate actions at the center of development, with increased focus on adaptation and resilience, and with full commitment to the goals of the Paris Agreement.</span></span></span></li> <li><span style="font-size:12pt"><span style="font-family:Cambria"><span style="font-family:Times">Address inequality including the gender gap—which has worsened during the pandemic—by investing in health, education, and social protection.</span></span></span></li> <li><span style="font-size:12pt"><span style="font-family:Cambria"><span style="font-family:Times">Promote high-quality green and digital infrastructure, enabling economies to rebuild smartly while closing the digital gap and attracting substantial private investment.</span></span></span></li> <li><span style="font-size:12pt"><span style="font-family:Cambria"><span style="font-family:Times">Deepen regional cooperation and integration, so that ADB developing member countries can seize the opportunities of renewed globalization and strengthen regional health security.</span></span></span></li> <li><span style="font-size:12pt"><span style="font-family:Cambria"><span style="font-family:Times">And strengthen domestic resource mobilization, to ensure that governments have the resources they need to finance sustainable growth and respond effectively to future crises.</span></span></span></li> </ul> <p><span style="font-size:12pt"><span style="font-family:Cambria"><span style="font-family:Times">Action on these priorities can build on ADB’s response to COVID-19 in 2020. Its total commitments in 2020 reached a record high of $31.6 billion, with just over half supporting operations to respond to the pandemic, the statement added. The balance was committed to address long-term development issues such as the gender equality gap, the impacts of climate change, and investments in quality infrastructure. These achievements were supported by record-high co-financing of $16.4 billion and record-high capital market borrowings of over $35 billion.</span></span></span></p> <p><span style="font-size:12pt"><span style="font-family:Cambria"><span style="font-family:Times">“During the height of the pandemic, I reassured my staff that we will someday look back with pride at what we accomplished for the people of the region. I believe more than ever that this is true,” the statement quoted Asakawa as saying.</span></span></span></p> <p> </p> ', 'published' => true, 'created' => '2021-05-05', 'modified' => '2021-05-05', 'keywords' => '', 'description' => '', 'sortorder' => '13096', 'image' => '20210505093800_128216.jpeg', 'article_date' => '2021-05-05 21:37:11', 'homepage' => false, 'breaking_news' => false, 'main_news' => true, 'in_scroller' => false, 'user_id' => '34' ) ), (int) 12 => array( 'Article' => array( 'id' => '13350', 'article_category_id' => '1', 'title' => ' Fall Armyworms Attack Maize in 67 Districts', 'sub_title' => '', 'summary' => 'May 5: Maize planted in 67 districts across the country have been overwhelmed by fall armyworms. ', 'content' => '<p><span style="font-size:12pt"><span style="font-family:Cambria"><span style="font-size:14.0pt"><span style="font-family:Times">May 5: Maize planted in 67 districts across the country have been overwhelmed by fall armyworms. According to the Plant Quarantine and Pesticide Management Center, armyworms have attacked newly planted maize in all the districts of the Terai as well as some high hill districts. The pest especially damages crops like maize, wheat, and paddy. Last year, the pest had damaged crops in 63 districts.<br /> Sahadev Humagain, head of the Plant Quarantine and Pesticide Management Center, said that they have not been able to get the details of the extent of damage done to the maize crop planted in 67 districts. He informed that it was difficult to collect the details of the damage due to the lack of sufficient manpower.<br /> However, for the control and prevention of outbreak, the district-based agricultural knowledge centre and technicians from the local bodies have been trained and mobilized. It is also said that the centre is working to spread public awareness on armyworm outbreak control measures through various media.<br /> Entrepreneurs have said that the country has sufficient pesticides for pest control and prevention. However, transportation is a bit inconvenient due to the ongoing prohibition order. Currently, the demand for pesticides has surged in Dang, Banke, Bardiya, Rupandehi, Kapilvastu, Chitwan, Birgunj, Bara, Parsa, Rautahat, among other districts.<br /> Experts say that farmers and technicians have problems in controlling this insect even though they have received training about it. These insects are especially active between February to August. But in some Terai districts, these insects are active throughout the year, inform agronomists.<br /> Experts say that since this insect has adapted to Nepal's climate, it cannot be completely eradicated from the country. However, it can be controlled by being precautious and paying attention from the very beginning.<br /> According to Humagain, head of the centre, special attention should be given to healthy seeds, healthy soil, and balanced irrigation while planting crops to avoid pest infestation. He said that as the larvae of this insect would affect the crop more, it would be appropriate to kill the larvae using the recommended pesticides.</span></span></span></span></p> <p> </p> ', 'published' => true, 'created' => '2021-05-05', 'modified' => '2021-05-05', 'keywords' => '', 'description' => '', 'sortorder' => '13095', 'image' => '20210505033704_20181030022432_Makai.jpg', 'article_date' => '2021-05-05 15:36:08', 'homepage' => false, 'breaking_news' => false, 'main_news' => true, 'in_scroller' => false, 'user_id' => '34' ) ), (int) 13 => array( 'Article' => array( 'id' => '13349', 'article_category_id' => '1', 'title' => 'ADB Launches Tax Hub to Enhance Domestic Resource Mobilization and International Tax Cooperation', 'sub_title' => '', 'summary' => 'May 5: The Asian Development Bank (ADB) on Monday (May 3) launched the Asia Pacific Tax Hub.', 'content' => '<p><span style="font-size:12pt"><span style="font-family:Cambria"><span style="font-size:14.0pt"><span style="font-family:Times">May 5: </span></span><span style="font-size:14.0pt"><span style="font-family:Times">The Asian Development Bank (ADB) on Monday (May 3) launched the Asia Pacific Tax Hub to create an open and inclusive platform to promote strategic policy dialogue, improve knowledge sharing, and strengthen coordination on tax policy and administration among ADB, its members, and development partners.</span></span></span></span></p> <p><span style="font-size:12pt"><span style="font-family:Cambria"><span style="font-size:14.0pt"><span style="font-family:Times">ADB said in a statement that the hub will maximize regional and international resources to strengthen domestic resource mobilization (DRM) and international tax cooperation (ITC) in ADB’s developing member countries (DMCs).</span></span></span></span></p> <p><span style="font-size:12pt"><span style="font-family:Cambria"><span style="font-size:14.0pt"><span style="font-family:Times">“Domestic resource mobilization has emerged as a major strategic priority for our DMCs at this moment. It will be vital in the effort to address debt sustainability and to achieve the Sustainable Development Goals,” the statement quoted ADB President Masatsuga Asakawa as saying in a seminar at ADB’s 54<sup>th</sup> Annual Meeting.</span></span></span></span></p> <p><span style="font-size:12pt"><span style="font-family:Cambria"><span style="font-size:14.0pt"><span style="font-family:Times">“The lack of a pan-regional tax community has been a unique and significant shortcoming for Asia and the Pacific. To address this, I would like to announce today the official launch of the Asia Pacific Tax Hub,” he added. </span></span></span></span></p> <p><span style="font-size:12pt"><span style="font-family:Cambria"><span style="font-size:14.0pt"><span style="font-family:Times">According to ADB, the hub will support DMCs on three main building blocks – preparation of medium-term revenue strategies (MTRS); roadmaps for the automation of tax administration, and proactive participation in international tax initiatives.</span></span></span></span></p> <p><span style="font-size:12pt"><span style="font-family:Cambria"><span style="font-size:14.0pt"><span style="font-family:Times">The hub aims to play a key role by stimulating regional dialogue and knowledge sharing on needed reforms. Through the hub, ADB will </span></span><span style="font-size:14.0pt"><span style="font-family:Times">coordinate closely with the International Monetary Fund (IMF) to support DMCs as they formulate country-specific MTRS, with activities such as regional workshops in collaboration with the Platform for Collaboration on Tax and diagnostic tools like the Tax Administration Diagnostic Assessment Tool. </span></span></span></span></p> <p><span style="font-size:12pt"><span style="font-family:Cambria"><span style="font-size:14.0pt"><span style="font-family:Times">It will also</span></span> <span style="font-size:14.0pt"><span style="font-family:Times">conduct needs assessments to prepare roadmaps for the automation of tax administrations in DMCs, and support their implementation in collaboration with development partners and leading countries in this area.</span></span></span></span></p> <p><span style="font-size:12pt"><span style="font-family:Cambria"><span style="font-size:14.0pt"><span style="font-family:Times">ADB said it is establishing a secretariat to operationalize the hub and plans to organize a Steering Committee to bring together key development partners and DMCs willing to actively engage in the hub. It will work closely together with the hub secretariat to lead the operation of the hub. </span></span></span></span></p> <p><span style="font-size:12pt"><span style="font-family:Cambria"><span style="font-size:14.0pt"><span style="font-family:Times">The hub will organize a first High-Level Conference by the fourth quarter of 2021 to report on progress and discuss next steps on the three building blocks of the hub, including details of the operations of the hub secretariat and Steering Committee.</span></span></span></span></p> <p> </p> ', 'published' => true, 'created' => '2021-05-05', 'modified' => '2021-05-05', 'keywords' => '', 'description' => '', 'sortorder' => '13094', 'image' => '20210505032710_20200430022205_asian-development-bank-ru.jpg', 'article_date' => '2021-05-05 15:26:22', 'homepage' => false, 'breaking_news' => false, 'main_news' => true, 'in_scroller' => null, 'user_id' => '34' ) ), (int) 14 => array( 'Article' => array( 'id' => '13348', 'article_category_id' => '1', 'title' => 'Authorities Extend Prohibitory Order in Kathmandu Valley by a Week', 'sub_title' => '', 'summary' => 'May 5: The district administration offices in the Kathmandu valley have decided to extend the ongoing prohibitory order by one more week.', 'content' => '<p><span style="font-size:10pt"><span style="font-family:Times"><span style="font-size:14.0pt">May 5: The district administration offices in the Kathmandu valley have decided to extend the ongoing prohibitory order by one more week.</span></span></span></p> <p><span style="font-size:10pt"><span style="font-family:Times"><span style="font-size:14.0pt">A meeting of the chief district officers of Kathmandu, Lalitpur and Bhaktapur on Tuesday (May 4) took a decision to this effect. The DAOs extended the prohibitory orders in line with the recent cabinet decision allowing the districts chiefs to issue prohibitory orders for at least 15 days.</span></span></span></p> <p><span style="font-size:10pt"><span style="font-family:Times"><span style="font-size:14.0pt">The prohibitory order will be in force till May 12 now.</span></span></span></p> <p><span style="font-size:10pt"><span style="font-family:Times"><span style="font-size:14.0pt">The authorities have also decided to further tighten the restrictions during this period. </span></span></span></p> <p><span style="font-size:10pt"><span style="font-family:Times"><span style="font-size:14.0pt">According to the Chief District Officer of Kathmandu, Kali Prasad Parajuli, government authorities have decided to change the modality of prohibitory order to curb the disease. </span></span></span></p> <p><span style="font-size:10pt"><span style="font-family:Times"><span style="font-size:14.0pt">The district authorities have decided to bar movement of people except in case of emergency. </span></span></span></p> <p><span style="font-size:10pt"><span style="font-family:Times"><span style="font-size:14.0pt">“We will take action against anyone found moving around without any emergency,” said CDO Parajuli.</span></span></span></p> <p><span style="font-size:10pt"><span style="font-family:Times"><span style="font-size:14.0pt">Shops selling essential supplies will be allowed to operate from 7-9 am instead of 7-10 am and 5 pm to 7 pm.</span></span></span></p> <p><span style="font-size:10pt"><span style="font-family:Times"><span style="font-size:14.0pt">All permits issued for vehicles will be invalid from now.</span></span></span></p> <p><span style="font-size:10pt"><span style="font-family:Times"><span style="font-size:14.0pt">However, vehicles carrying essential goods and those supplying food will be allowed to operate during the prohibitory order. The prohibitory order does not apply to ambulances.</span></span></span></p> <p><span style="font-size:10pt"><span style="font-family:Times"><span style="font-size:14.0pt">Meanwhile, Banks and Financial Institutions will be allowed to operate at a 25 per cent capacity.</span></span></span></p> <p><span style="font-size:10pt"><span style="font-family:Times"><span style="font-size:14.0pt">The three districts in the valley imposed prohibitory order on April 29 following a rise in number of Covid-19 cases. The government has authorised Chief District Officers to impose such orders.</span></span></span></p> ', 'published' => true, 'created' => '2021-05-05', 'modified' => '2021-05-05', 'keywords' => '', 'description' => '', 'sortorder' => '13093', 'image' => '20210505125006_1620171246.Clipboard09.jpg', 'article_date' => '2021-05-05 12:49:21', 'homepage' => false, 'breaking_news' => false, 'main_news' => true, 'in_scroller' => null, 'user_id' => '34' ) ) ) $current_user = null $logged_in = falseinclude - APP/View/Elements/side_bar.ctp, line 60 View::_evaluate() - CORE/Cake/View/View.php, line 971 View::_render() - CORE/Cake/View/View.php, line 933 View::_renderElement() - CORE/Cake/View/View.php, line 1224 View::element() - CORE/Cake/View/View.php, line 418 include - APP/View/Articles/index.ctp, line 157 View::_evaluate() - CORE/Cake/View/View.php, line 971 View::_render() - CORE/Cake/View/View.php, line 933 View::render() - CORE/Cake/View/View.php, line 473 Controller::render() - CORE/Cake/Controller/Controller.php, line 968 Dispatcher::_invoke() - CORE/Cake/Routing/Dispatcher.php, line 200 Dispatcher::dispatch() - CORE/Cake/Routing/Dispatcher.php, line 167 [main] - APP/webroot/index.php, line 117
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Social media was abuzz the whole day with criticism of PM Oli for his remark as the crisis was deepening across the country. Critics said that the prime minister lost an opportunity to seek international support by giving a false statement. They were of the view that Oli should have given the real picture and that could have helped the government receive foreign assistance to fight the pandemic.</span></span></span></span></p> <p><span style="font-size:10pt"><span style="font-family:Times"><span style="font-size:14.0pt"><span style="font-family:"Arial Unicode MS"">During the interview, PM Oli said that the first wave of coronavirus had come under control but there was an outbreak of second wave due to the negligence of the public.</span></span></span></span></p> <p><span style="font-size:10pt"><span style="font-family:Times"><span style="font-size:14.0pt"><span style="font-family:"Arial Unicode MS"">“We had brought the infection under control last year. The death toll had dropped to zero. New infection was below 50 per day. But the general people thought that the pandemic had ended and were negligent. That caused the second wave of coronavirus,” PM Oli told CNN.</span></span></span></span></p> <p><span style="font-size:10pt"><span style="font-family:Times"><span style="font-size:14.0pt"><span style="font-family:"Arial Unicode MS"">“We have mobilized all our mechanisms to bring the situation under control,” he added.</span></span></span></span></p> <p><span style="font-size:10pt"><span style="font-family:Times"><span style="font-size:14.0pt"><span style="font-family:"Arial Unicode MS"">The prime minister further said that the government has been busy in creating awareness among the people to save lives. Although the prime minister maintained that the situation was under control, the health ministry had recently said that the rate of infection is rising at an alarming rate and that the health facilities of the country were not able to cope with the situation.</span></span></span></span></p> <p><span style="font-size:10pt"><span style="font-family:Times"><span style="font-size:14.0pt"><span style="font-family:"Arial Unicode MS"">According to the data provided by the ministry, a total of 53 people died due to the disease across the country on Saturday alone. Daily infection has climbed above 8,000 while the number of active cases is almost 100,000.</span></span></span></span></p> <p> </p> ', 'published' => true, 'created' => '2021-05-09', 'modified' => '2021-05-09', 'keywords' => '', 'description' => '', 'sortorder' => '13108', 'image' => '20210509121210_1620516771.Clipboard12.jpg', 'article_date' => '2021-05-09 12:11:20', 'homepage' => false, 'breaking_news' => false, 'main_news' => true, 'in_scroller' => null, 'user_id' => '34' ) ), (int) 1 => array( 'Article' => array( 'id' => '13362', 'article_category_id' => '1', 'title' => 'No Infection at Everest Base Camp: Tourism Ministry', 'sub_title' => '', 'summary' => 'May 9: The Ministry of Culture, Tourism and Civil Aviation has clarified there is no health safety risks at Everest Base Camp. ', 'content' => '<p><span style="font-size:11pt"><span style="font-family:Cambria"><span style="font-size:14.0pt"><span style="font-family:"Arial Unicode MS"">May 9: The Ministry of Culture, Tourism and Civil Aviation has clarified there is no health safety risks at Everest Base Camp. </span></span></span></span></p> <p><span style="font-size:11pt"><span style="font-family:Cambria"><strong><span style="font-size:14.0pt"><span style="font-family:"Arial Unicode MS"">T</span></span></strong><span style="font-size:14.0pt"><span style="font-family:"Arial Unicode MS"">he ministry said in a statement that its attention has been drawn towards the recent news reports that some members of the Everest expedition teams for the spring season had tested positive for Covid-19, raising fears of a serious outbreak. </span></span><br /> <span style="font-size:14.0pt"><span style="font-family:"Arial Unicode MS"">“There is no such risk at Everest Base Camp as claimed by some media,’’ the state-owned national news agency RSS reported citing the ministry.</span></span></span></span></p> <p><span style="font-size:11pt"><span style="font-family:Cambria"><span style="font-size:14.0pt"><span style="font-family:"Arial Unicode MS"">Some domestic and international media recently published reports claiming that the virus had spread at the base camp and climbers faced great risk of infection. </span></span><br /> <span style="font-size:14.0pt"><span style="font-family:"Arial Unicode MS"">According to the ministry, 774 people of 86 expedition teams from 79 countries have acquired permission for climbing Everest this season and they all have followed the health safety protocols to the possible extent.</span></span></span></span></p> <p><span style="font-size:11pt"><span style="font-family:Cambria"><span style="font-size:14.0pt"><span style="font-family:"Arial Unicode MS"">Spokesperson of the ministry, Taranath Adhikari, said that a liaison officer has been mobilized to oversee activities of each expedition team and report any important incident and information relating to the pandemic. </span></span></span></span></p> <p><span style="font-size:11pt"><span style="font-family:Cambria"><span style="font-size:14.0pt"><span style="font-family:"Arial Unicode MS"">“Based on the available information, we can say there is no such infection risk at Everest Base Camp as reported in media,” he said. </span></span><br /> <span style="font-size:14.0pt"><span style="font-family:"Arial Unicode MS"">The ministry has urged one and all not to entertain and disseminate unreliable and unverified information, creating fears among members of the expedition teams and their families and to follow information provided by official sources. </span></span><br /> <span style="font-size:14.0pt"><span style="font-family:"Arial Unicode MS"">A Covid-19 crisis facilitation and coordination unit has been formed under the coordination of joint-secretary Buddisagar Lamichhane to make arrangements for the rescue of any climber and trekker in adverse situation and escort her/him to the destination safely. </span></span><br /> <span style="font-size:14.0pt"><span style="font-family:"Arial Unicode MS"">The climbing for this season has officially kicked off with Kami Rita Sherpa successfully reaching the top of Everest at 18:00 pm on Friday (May 7) as a leader of rope fixing team, along with 11 other Sherpas (icefall doctors). This is a record 25th ascent of Everest by Kami Rita Sherpa. </span></span></span></span></p> ', 'published' => true, 'created' => '2021-05-09', 'modified' => '2021-05-09', 'keywords' => '', 'description' => '', 'sortorder' => '13107', 'image' => '20210509114233_20210219104343_20201108030120_Contribution of Mountains to the Tourism Economy_1.jpg', 'article_date' => '2021-05-09 11:41:47', 'homepage' => false, 'breaking_news' => false, 'main_news' => true, 'in_scroller' => null, 'user_id' => '34' ) ), (int) 2 => array( 'Article' => array( 'id' => '13360', 'article_category_id' => '1', 'title' => 'Govt conducting study on impacts of Covid-19 on foreign employment', 'sub_title' => '', 'summary' => 'The Department of Foreign Employment (DoFE) has started a study into the impact of the second wave of Covid-19 on foreign employment. ', 'content' => '<p>May 8: The Department of Foreign Employment (DoFE) has started a study into the impact of the second wave of Covid-19 on foreign employment. </p> <p>Krishna Prasad Dawadi, Director General of the DoFE, said that the department is carrying out a study on the impact of Covid-19 on foreign employment sector in collaboration with the Ministry of Foreign Affairs (MoFA) and associations of recruiting firms.</p> <p>The department has requested the MoFA and associations of manpower companies to collect data of workers affected by the Covid-19 as well as other details on the impact of the pandemic on foreign employment from the respective embassies of the labor destination countries, according to Dawadi. </p> <p>He said that they have sought details on the Covid-19 situation in the destination countries, impact of pandemic on Nepali workers working abroad and their current condition. </p> <p>Following the outbreak of the second wave of Covid-19, the number of Nepali workers going for foreign employment has been falling in line with a decline in the demand for workers from labor receiving countries. <br /> “Since the international flights were suspended from May 6, the number of migrant workers leaving for foreign employment on Wednesday and Thursday was the highest if compared to the average number of workers leaving the country in recent months. However, the number of Nepali workers going abroad was already on a declining trend," said Dawadi.</p> <p>“We cannot say for sure that the second wave of the Covid-19 is the cause for the decline. So, we have decided to conduct the study,” he said. </p> <p>According to Dawadi, the study would help the government to understand how Nepali workers are impacted by the Covid-19 while working abroad as well as come up with relief and other necessary support to them. </p> <p>Foreign employment was severely affected by the first wave of Covid-19 and subsequent containment measures including the lockdown imposed in Nepal and destination countries. Thousands of Nepali workers were unable to go for foreign employment while many people returned home after losing their jobs abroad. <br /> The demand for workers was gradually increasing after the effects of Covid-19 started to subside. However, the unfolding Covid-19 crisis is once again hitting the foreign employment sector. <br /> Though international flights have been suspended, the department has not stopped distribution of work permits. The DoFE has started online services to issue work permits to Nepali workers to go for foreign employment. According to Dawadi, the DoFE has not stopped issuing work permits to avoid a backlog of applications for work permits and ensure that the department is not crowded with workers after the ongoing prohibitory period ends. <br /> </p> ', 'published' => true, 'created' => '2021-05-08', 'modified' => '2021-05-08', 'keywords' => '', 'description' => '', 'sortorder' => '13105', 'image' => '20210508021733_Foreign Employment.jpg', 'article_date' => '2021-05-08 14:45:41', 'homepage' => true, 'breaking_news' => false, 'main_news' => true, 'in_scroller' => true, 'user_id' => '35' ) ), (int) 3 => array( 'Article' => array( 'id' => '13359', 'article_category_id' => '1', 'title' => 'NTB Sets up Crisis Management and Communication Cell to Rescue Tourists', 'sub_title' => '', 'summary' => 'May 7: Nepal Tourism Board (NTB) has set up a Crisis Management and Communication Cell (CMCC) for coordination and rescue of tourists stranded in different parts of the country following the prohibition order imposed by the government.', 'content' => '<p><span style="font-size:12pt"><span style="font-family:Cambria">May 7: Nepal Tourism Board (NTB) has set up a Crisis Management and Communication Cell (CMCC) for coordination and rescue of tourists stranded in different parts of the country following the prohibition order imposed by the government.<br /> The CMCC will facilitate in rescue and coordination of tourists and also monitor and manage hotel quarantine for passengers coming to Nepal from India under the Nepal-India air bubble agreement.<br /> Accordingly, CMCC has rescued 11 foreigners from Langtang, 4 Ukrainians from Pokhara, and 2 Americans from Lukla and brought them to Kathmandu. Similarly, as per the decision of the Ministry of Culture, Tourism and Civil Aviation dated April 21, the tourism board has prepared hotel quarantine criteria for air passengers and facilitated them by liaising and coordinating with the hotels listed by the Ministry.<br /> The board has set up hotlines and emails (Hotline: 9851252666, Email:<br /> <a href="mailto:crisiscell@ntb.org.np" style="color:blue; text-decoration:underline">crisiscell@ntb.org.np</a>, website:-<a href="http://www.welcomenepal.com/plan-your-trip/covid-19" style="color:blue; text-decoration:underline">www.welcomenepal.com/plan-your-trip/covid-19</a>) to ensure that no tourist is stranded due to lack of necessary information during the pandemic.</span></span><br /> <br /> </p> ', 'published' => true, 'created' => '2021-05-07', 'modified' => '2021-05-07', 'keywords' => '', 'description' => '', 'sortorder' => '13104', 'image' => '20210507054326_202009.jpg', 'article_date' => '2021-05-07 17:42:36', 'homepage' => false, 'breaking_news' => false, 'main_news' => true, 'in_scroller' => null, 'user_id' => '34' ) ), (int) 4 => array( 'Article' => array( 'id' => '13358', 'article_category_id' => '1', 'title' => 'Government Likely to Announce Agriculture Budget of 36.23 Billion', 'sub_title' => '', 'summary' => 'May 7: The government is preparing to announce a budget of Rs 36.23 billion for the agriculture sector in the coming fiscal year (FY 2021/21).', 'content' => '<p><span style="font-size:12pt"><span style="font-family:Cambria"><span style="font-size:14.0pt"><span style="font-family:Times">May 7: The government is preparing to announce a budget of Rs 36.23 billion for the agriculture sector in the coming fiscal year (FY 2021/21). The proposed budget is less than the budget allocated in the current fiscal year by Rs 5 billion.<br /> Last year, the government had allocated a budget of Rs 41.40 billion for the agriculture sector. Based on the ceiling set by the Ministry of Finance, the Ministry of Agriculture and Livestock Development is currently drafting the budget for the agriculture sector.<br /> During a virtual programme on 'Coronavirus Pandemic and Agriculture Budget' organized by the Association of Agricultural Journalists (ANAJ) on Thursday, May 6, Joint Secretary of the Ministry of Agriculture and Livestock Development and Head of the Planning Branch Dr Hari Bahadur KC said that the ministry is preparing a budget of Rs 36.23 billion for the agriculture sector in the coming fiscal year.<br /> Out of the total budget for the agriculture sector, about 25 percent of the budget will be allocated for chemical fertilizers. KC said that a large amount of money had to be allocated for chemical fertilizer which is a major need for agricultural production.<br /> Likewise, Rs 3.21 billion will be spent on the Prime Minister's Agriculture Modernization Project, and more than Rs 3 billion on the Nepal Agricultural Research Institute (NARC).<br /> Similarly, Rs 3 billion has also been allocated for the Department of Agriculture and the Department of Animal Husbandry. A total of Rs 14 billion has been allocated under the subsidy heading, of which Rs 15 million will be allocated for various types of agricultural insurance and Rs 1 billion for sugarcane farmers. Likewise, Rs 8 billion has been allocated for the local and state governments, while Rs 1.60 billion will be allocated for financial budget management.<br /> The budget also emphasizes formulating the organic manure mission programme, digital soil mapping, and increasing the scope of soil testing. Likewise, the government plans to set up as many as 100 fruit nurseries, make fisheries self-reliant, and increase milk production and improve its distribution and storage systems. For that, plans have been made to build a powdered milk factory in Kohalpur and milk storage facilities in Biratnagar and Bhairahawa.</span></span></span></span></p> <p> </p> <p> </p> ', 'published' => true, 'created' => '2021-05-07', 'modified' => '2021-05-07', 'keywords' => '', 'description' => '', 'sortorder' => '13103', 'image' => '20210507033217_1620343279.2.jpg', 'article_date' => '2021-05-07 15:31:44', 'homepage' => false, 'breaking_news' => false, 'main_news' => true, 'in_scroller' => null, 'user_id' => '34' ) ), (int) 5 => array( 'Article' => array( 'id' => '13357', 'article_category_id' => '1', 'title' => 'Private Sector ‘Surprised’ by Government’s Decision to Increase Minimum Wage of Workers ', 'sub_title' => '', 'summary' => 'May 7: Stakeholders of the private sector have said their serious attention has been drawn towards the government’s decision to raise the minimum wage of workers.', 'content' => '<p><span style="font-size:11pt"><span style="font-family:Cambria"><span style="font-size:14.0pt"><span style="font-family:"Arial Unicode MS"">May 7: Stakeholders of the private sector have said their serious attention has been drawn towards the government’s decision to raise the minimum wage of workers.</span></span></span></span></p> <p><span style="font-size:11pt"><span style="font-family:Cambria"><span style="font-size:14.0pt"><span style="font-family:"Arial Unicode MS"">The Federation of Nepali Chamber of Commerce and Industries (FNCCI), Confederation of Nepalese Industries (CNI) and Nepal Chamber of Commerce (NCC) have said that the minimum wage fixed by the government of workers would be difficult to implement owing to the current crisis of Covid-19. </span></span><br /> <span style="font-size:14.0pt"><span style="font-family:"Arial Unicode MS"">Issuing a joint press statement here today, the umbrella bodies of entrepreneurs in the country have urged the government not to interfere in the process of determining wages for the labourers. </span></span></span></span></p> <p><span style="font-size:11pt"><span style="font-family:Cambria"><span style="font-size:14.0pt"><span style="font-family:"Arial Unicode MS"">In a notice published on the Nepal Gazette on May 3, the government had raised the minimum wage of workers effective from the upcoming fiscal year. As per the decision, employers have to pay a labourer a minimum wage of Rs 15,000 per month from the next fiscal year. </span></span><br /> <span style="font-size:14.0pt"><span style="font-family:"Arial Unicode MS"">The organizations have said that the partial and full prohibitory order enforced in 56 districts in the country to contain the second wave of Covid-19 had affected over 700,000 enterprises. They were of the view that the private sector enterprises might not be able to pay regular wages in such a situation.</span></span></span></span></p> <p><span style="font-size:11pt"><span style="font-family:Cambria"><span style="font-size:14.0pt"><span style="font-family:"Arial Unicode MS"">The statement added that the private sector has been struggling to meet the daily expenses as the prohibitory orders have been extended by the government. In such a situation, they expressed surprise at the government’s decision to increase the minimum wage of workers. </span></span><br /> <span style="font-size:14.0pt"><span style="font-family:"Arial Unicode MS"">At a time when the small and medium scale enterprises have been hardest hit due to the health crisis, the organizations, through the press statement, have appealed to the government not to interfere in the determination of the minimum wages of the workers. They said that they will decide the matter on the basis of mutual understanding. </span></span></span></span><br /> </p> <p> </p> ', 'published' => true, 'created' => '2021-05-07', 'modified' => '2021-05-07', 'keywords' => '', 'description' => '', 'sortorder' => '13102', 'image' => '20210507123102_1620290616.jpg', 'article_date' => '2021-05-07 12:30:11', 'homepage' => false, 'breaking_news' => false, 'main_news' => true, 'in_scroller' => null, 'user_id' => '34' ) ), (int) 6 => array( 'Article' => array( 'id' => '13356', 'article_category_id' => '1', 'title' => 'Leaders and Experts Share Mixed Views on MCC ', 'sub_title' => '', 'summary' => 'May 7: Political leaders and experts have called for clarity on policies regarding foreign assistance adding that national sovereignty and national interests were above all other considerations, according to the state-owned national news agency RSS. ', 'content' => '<p><span style="font-size:11pt"><span style="font-family:Cambria"><span style="font-family:"Arial Unicode MS"">May 7: Political leaders and experts have called for clarity on policies regarding foreign assistance adding that national sovereignty and national interests were above all other considerations, according to the state-owned national news agency RSS. </span><br /> <span style="font-family:"Arial Unicode MS"">Speaking at a recent programme, the politicians expressed diverse views over the Millennium Challenge Corporation (MCC) and ratification of the MCC Compact from the parliament. </span><br /> <span style="font-family:"Arial Unicode MS"">During the virtual programme organized by Friends of Silk Road and Nepal China Friendship Forum on Thursday, former Deputy Prime Minister and Defense Minister Bhim Rawal took exception to some of the points of MCC agreement. </span><br /> <span style="font-family:"Arial Unicode MS"">Rawal reiterated that the some issues of MCC should be amended otherwise the parliament should not ratify it, RSS reported. </span><br /> <span style="font-family:"Arial Unicode MS"">However, former Foreign Affairs Minister and Nepali Congress leader Dr Prakash Sharan Mahat praised the MCC Compact stating that the MCC Board is chaired by Secretary of the Finance Ministry to facilitate the timely completion of projects and it is in Nepal’s national interest. </span><br /> <span style="font-family:"Arial Unicode MS"">Dr Mahat was of the view that the grant received under the MCC would be mobilized as per Nepal’s laws. According to RSS, Mahat added that the MCC in Nepal was brought into controversy due to misleading information and propaganda. </span><br /> <span style="font-family:"Arial Unicode MS"">Likewise, Gyanendra Lal Pradhan of the Confederation of Nepalese Industries backed the MCC stating that it is more focused on development of infrastructures and it has nothing to do with politics. He argued that power grid is important in Nepal and added that electricity price will go up in Nepal if the transmission lines were not completed.</span></span></span></p> <p><span style="font-size:11pt"><span style="font-family:Cambria"><span style="font-family:"Arial Unicode MS"">President of Friend of Silk Road Dr Kalyan Raj Sharma said that the programme was organised to inform the people and welcome healthy discussions of stakeholders and experts. </span></span></span></p> ', 'published' => true, 'created' => '2021-05-07', 'modified' => '2021-05-07', 'keywords' => '', 'description' => '', 'sortorder' => '13101', 'image' => '20210507114916_20200914112314_1600032154.2.jpg', 'article_date' => '2021-05-07 11:48:43', 'homepage' => false, 'breaking_news' => false, 'main_news' => true, 'in_scroller' => null, 'user_id' => '34' ) ), (int) 7 => array( 'Article' => array( 'id' => '13355', 'article_category_id' => '1', 'title' => 'Financial Picture Challenging due to Covid-19, says Finance Minister ', 'sub_title' => '', 'summary' => 'May 6: Minister for Finance Bishnu Prasad Poudel has admitted that the second wave of coronavirus has posed a serious threat to the financial future of the country. ', 'content' => '<p><span style="font-size:16px"><span style="font-family:Cambria"><span style="font-family:"Arial Unicode MS"">May 6: Minister for Finance Bishnu Prasad Poudel has admitted that the second wave of coronavirus has posed a serious threat to the financial future of the country. </span><br /> <span style="font-family:"Arial Unicode MS"">Addressing an informal meeting of the SAARC Finance Ministers virtually on Wednesday (May 5), Minister Poudel said, “We have faced obstacle to achieve financial growth due to the multifaceted effects of Covid-19 in inclusive and sustainable development.” </span><br /> <span style="font-family:"Arial Unicode MS"">In the virtual meeting held on the sidelines of the 54th Annual Meeting of the Asian Development Bank (ADB), Poudel reiterated that although utmost efforts were made to bring the situation under control by uplifting the economy, the current circumstances have painted a grim picture of Nepal's economy. </span><br /> <span style="font-family:"Arial Unicode MS"">Stating that the outbreak of second wave of Covid-19 had caused a huge setback to the economy of Nepal, Minister Poudel said that the tourism sector and other service sectors were most affected by the pandemic. </span><br /> <span style="font-family:"Arial Unicode MS"">The adverse effects of Covid-19 has been reflected in the cut down in jobs, lay-offs of the employees, loss in business among others, argued the Minister. He added that Covid-19 had posed challenges for efforts aimed at promoting inclusiveness, human development and alleviating poverty. </span><br /> <span style="font-family:"Arial Unicode MS"">The Minister also expressed his view that it was imperative to ensure that all the countries had access to procure the vaccines against coronavirus. On the occasion, he extended gratefulness towards the government of India for providing vaccines against Covid-19 and said that it had enabled launching of vaccination drive in the SAARC region. </span><br /> <span style="font-family:"Arial Unicode MS"">He pressed for formulating policies and strategies by all the SAARC-member nations to cushion the effects of Covid-19 on the SAARC region’s economy and to promote local production in the developing nations of the region. </span><br /> <span style="font-family:"Arial Unicode MS"">During the meeting, Minister Poudel extended his thankfulness to the ADB for its financial and technical support to Nepal in its covid-19 response and efforts to promote economic activities. </span><br /> <span style="font-family:"Arial Unicode MS"">The finance ministers of SAARC and delegates had univocally underscored the need for mutual cooperation for socio-economic recovery to cushion the effect of Covid-19 on the economy of SAARC region. -- RSS</span></span></span></p> ', 'published' => true, 'created' => '2021-05-06', 'modified' => '2021-05-06', 'keywords' => '', 'description' => '', 'sortorder' => '13100', 'image' => '20210506032215_20210110034934_1610265858.jpg', 'article_date' => '2021-05-06 15:20:47', 'homepage' => false, 'breaking_news' => false, 'main_news' => true, 'in_scroller' => null, 'user_id' => '34' ) ), (int) 8 => array( 'Article' => array( 'id' => '13354', 'article_category_id' => '1', 'title' => 'Supply Chain of Construction Materials Affected: FCAN', 'sub_title' => '', 'summary' => 'May 6: The Federation of Contractors’ Associations of Nepal (FCAN) has reportedly stated that the construction entrepreneurs and stakeholders are facing difficulties to carry out construction works due to the ongoing prohibitory order issued in the capital and other districts. ', 'content' => '<p><span style="font-size:11pt"><span style="font-family:Cambria"><span style="font-family:"Arial Unicode MS"">May 6: The Federation of Contractors’ Associations of Nepal (FCAN) has reportedly stated that the construction entrepreneurs and stakeholders are facing difficulties to carry out construction works due to the ongoing prohibitory order issued in the capital and other districts. </span><br /> <span style="font-family:"Arial Unicode MS"">The FCAN said in a statement that the movement of vehicles supplying construction materials have been obstructed in different places, and are not given an easy access by security forces. </span></span></span></p> <p><span style="font-size:11pt"><span style="font-family:Cambria"><span style="font-family:"Arial Unicode MS"">Although factories are producing construction materials, the supply chain and availability of the produced goods have been badly affected as dealers and distributors have not been allowed to operate their business, FCAN noted. </span><br /> <span style="font-family:"Arial Unicode MS"">The statement further says that FCAN’s attention was drawn seriously to the unusual price hike of construction materials during the time of prohibitory order. </span><br /> <span style="font-family:"Arial Unicode MS"">The statement issued by general secretary of FCAN Roshan Dahal also added that construction work is likely to be affected in densely-populated areas and some other construction sites. </span></span></span><br /> </p> ', 'published' => true, 'created' => '2021-05-06', 'modified' => '2021-05-06', 'keywords' => '', 'description' => '', 'sortorder' => '13099', 'image' => '20210506031251_20200415125719_1586906108.jpg', 'article_date' => '2021-05-06 15:12:14', 'homepage' => false, 'breaking_news' => false, 'main_news' => true, 'in_scroller' => null, 'user_id' => '34' ) ), (int) 9 => array( 'Article' => array( 'id' => '13353', 'article_category_id' => '1', 'title' => 'Government Prepares Draft of Policies and Programmes ', 'sub_title' => '', 'summary' => 'May 6: The Office of the Prime Minister and Council of Ministers has prepared the draft of the policies and programmes for the upcoming fiscal year (FY 2021/22).', 'content' => '<p><span style="font-size:12pt"><span style="font-family:Cambria"><span style="font-size:11.0pt"><span style="font-family:Arial">May 6: The Office of the Prime Minister and Council of Ministers has prepared the draft of the policies and programmes for the upcoming fiscal year (FY 2021/22).</span></span></span></span></p> <p><span style="font-size:12pt"><span style="font-family:Cambria"><span style="font-size:11.0pt"><span style="font-family:Arial">Government officials confirmed that the draft of the policies and programmes has been prepared and will be presented at a joint session of the House of Representatives and National Assembly by President Bidhya Devi Bhandari on behalf of the government. As per the constitutional provision, the fiscal budget should be presented on the 15th day in the month of Jestha (May 29). The policies and programmes should be presented before the budget. However, the budget session has already been delayed this time.</span></span></span></span></p> <p><span style="font-size:12pt"><span style="font-family:Cambria"> <span style="font-size:11.0pt"><span style="font-family:Arial">Spokesperson of the Parliament Secretariat, Rojnath Pandey, said that all preparations for the budget session has been made but it is not certain when the policies and programmes will be tabled in the parliament as the budget session has not been called yet. A special session of parliament has been called for May 10 to seek vote of confidence by Prime Minister KP Oli.</span></span></span></span></p> <p><span style="font-size:12pt"><span style="font-family:Cambria"><span style="font-size:11.0pt"><span style="font-family:Arial">According to a senior official involved in preparing the draft of the policies and programmes, the government has given priority to the construction of state-of-the-art hospitals at every local level. Similarly, relief packages will be introduced for the industries affected by COVID-19 pandemic and programmes will be included to expedite the development process.</span></span></span></span></p> <p><span style="font-size:12pt"><span style="font-family:Cambria"><span style="font-size:11.0pt"><span style="font-family:Arial">The policies and programmes will also focus on increasing economic activities, invest in the productive sector, prioritize internal resource mobilization and reduce unnecessary expenses in light of the COVID-19 crisis.</span></span></span></span></p> <p><span style="font-size:12pt"><span style="font-family:Cambria"><span style="font-size:11.0pt"><span style="font-family:Arial">According to the official, the policies and programmes have prioritized commercial farming, industrial development and increasing productivity, completion of national pride projects within the deadline.</span></span></span></span></p> <p><span style="font-size:12pt"><span style="font-family:Cambria"><span style="font-size:11.0pt"><span style="font-family:Arial">The government is set to announce an increase in old-age allowance so that elderly people can look after themselves and implement the new minimum salary strictly from mid-July. The government is also preparing to introduce incentives for innovation, special discounts for export-oriented industries, special emphasis on the Digital Nepal campaign, and additional employment generation programmes through the Prime Minister's Employment Programme.</span></span></span></span></p> <p><span style="font-size:12pt"><span style="font-family:Cambria"><span style="font-size:11.0pt"><span style="font-family:Arial">In the mid-February, Chief Secretary Shankar Das Bairagi had instructed the secretaries to prepare policies and programs that are worthy of implementation. He had also instructed them to formulate policies and programs by holding necessary discussions to avoid duplication with the local level programmes.</span></span></span></span></p> <p> </p> ', 'published' => true, 'created' => '2021-05-06', 'modified' => '2021-05-06', 'keywords' => '', 'description' => '', 'sortorder' => '13098', 'image' => '20210506025841_20210409035508_20200409120151_1586383527.jpg', 'article_date' => '2021-05-06 14:51:58', 'homepage' => false, 'breaking_news' => false, 'main_news' => true, 'in_scroller' => null, 'user_id' => '34' ) ), (int) 10 => array( 'Article' => array( 'id' => '13352', 'article_category_id' => '1', 'title' => 'Employers Unhappy Over Government’s Decision to Raise Minimum Wage', 'sub_title' => '', 'summary' => 'May 6: Private sector employers have expressed dissatisfaction over the government's decision to raise the minimum salary of workers to be implemented from the start of the upcoming fiscal year.', 'content' => '<p><span style="font-size:12pt"><span style="font-family:Cambria"><span style="font-size:11.0pt"><span style="font-family:Arial">May 6: Private sector employers have expressed dissatisfaction over the government's decision to raise the minimum salary of workers to be implemented from the start of the upcoming fiscal year.</span></span></span></span></p> <p><span style="font-size:12pt"><span style="font-family:Cambria"><span style="font-size:11.0pt"><span style="font-family:Arial">Employers are dissatisfied that the government has taken a unilateral decision amidst this crisis when employers are concerned about sustaining business and providing salary to the current employees.</span></span></span></span></p> <p><span style="font-size:12pt"><span style="font-family:Cambria"><span style="font-size:11.0pt"><span style="font-family:Arial">The Ministry of Labour, Employment and Social Security had issued a notice on Nepal Gazette on May 4, fixing the minimum wage. Since then, umbrella organization of employees and employers have come forward with various views.</span></span></span></span></p> <p><span style="font-size:12pt"><span style="font-family:Cambria"><span style="font-size:11.0pt"><span style="font-family:Arial">The Labor Act requires the minimum wage be fixed on a monthly, daily and hourly basis in every two years. In the Fiscal Year 2018/19, the minimum salary was raised to Rs 13,450 but in the Fiscal Year 2019/20 and the current fiscal year, the minimum wage was not increased. </span></span></span></span></p> <p><span style="font-size:12pt"><span style="font-family:Cambria"><span style="font-size:11.0pt"><span style="font-family:Arial">According to the Nepal Gazette, the increased salary will be implemented from mid-July of Fiscal Year 2021/22. As soon as this notice was published, the private sector expressed dissatisfaction. The umbrella organization of the private sector has engaged in discussions to publish their formal statement.</span></span></span></span></p> <p><span style="font-size:12pt"><span style="font-family:Cambria"> </span></span><span style="font-size:12pt"><span style="font-family:Cambria"><span style="font-size:11.0pt"><span style="font-family:Arial">Shekhar Golchha, president of the Federation of Nepalese Chambers of Commerce and Industry (FNCCI) said that the government's decision has disappointed them. No discussions have been held with the FNCCI though it is the primary organization concerned with the decision. </span></span></span></span></p> <p><span style="font-size:12pt"><span style="font-family:Cambria"><span style="font-size:11.0pt"><span style="font-family:Arial">He said that the focus should be on how to secure current employment rather than on increasing minimum wages. "It may be reasonable according to the Act, but this is not the right time to raise the minimum wage, since we are in the middle of a global crisis," Golchha said.</span></span></span></span></p> <p><span style="font-size:12pt"><span style="font-family:Cambria"><span style="font-size:11.0pt"><span style="font-family:Arial">Rajesh Agrawal, vice president of the Confederation of Nepalese Industries (CNI) said it is not possible to implement the new wages. He said that it is not certain how long the prohibitory orders will be enforced so the announcement of increasing wages has disappointed them during this difficult time. </span></span></span></span></p> <p><span style="font-size:12pt"><span style="font-family:Cambria"><span style="font-size:11.0pt"><span style="font-family:Arial">Binod Kumar Shrestha, president of the General Federation of Nepalese Trade Union (GEFONT) said the new increased salary must be implemented from mid-July. He stressed on the need to implement the provision rather than debating whether it is the right time to raise the wages. He added that the increased salary is still low considering the current rate of inflation. Employers have been receiving various tax waivers from the government due to the impact of COVID-19. </span></span></span></span></p> <p><span style="font-size:12pt"><span style="font-family:Cambria"><span style="font-size:11.0pt"><span style="font-family:Arial">Despite the COVID-19 pandemic, most of the industries are performing well so they can't deny to provide the increased salary. </span></span></span></span></p> <p><span style="font-size:12pt"><span style="font-family:Cambria"><span style="font-size:11.0pt"><span style="font-family:Arial">"Instead of every two years, salary has been raised in three years so it is not right to express dissatisfaction over the decision. It is not reasonable to say they will not be able to provide the salary on the pretext of COVID-19 pandemic,” said Shrestha.</span></span></span></span></p> <p><span style="font-size:12pt"><span style="font-family:Cambria"><span style="font-size:11.0pt"><span style="font-family:Arial">Amidst the COVID-19 pandemic, most of the industries are doing well while many of them like five-star hotels are struggling. Employees of those hotels are still working for a meager salary of Rs 3000 to Rs 5000 per month, said Shrestha. The raised salary of Rs 15,000 includes basic salary and inflation allowance.</span></span></span></span></p> <p><span style="font-size:12pt"><span style="font-family:Cambria"><span style="font-size:11.0pt"><span style="font-family:Arial">Meanwhile, the daily wage of a worker has been increased to Rs 577 while the hourly wage has been increased to Rs 77 from Rs 48.</span></span></span></span></p> <p> </p> ', 'published' => true, 'created' => '2021-05-06', 'modified' => '2021-05-06', 'keywords' => '', 'description' => '', 'sortorder' => '13097', 'image' => '20210506120318_minimum.jpg', 'article_date' => '2021-05-06 12:01:49', 'homepage' => false, 'breaking_news' => false, 'main_news' => true, 'in_scroller' => null, 'user_id' => '34' ) ), (int) 11 => array( 'Article' => array( 'id' => '13351', 'article_category_id' => '1', 'title' => 'Asia-Pacific Can Emerge From Pandemic Stronger Than Before: ADB President', 'sub_title' => '', 'summary' => 'May 5: The Asia and the Pacific region can emerge from the coronavirus disease (COVID-19) pandemic “even stronger than before” by focusing on five areas to help achieve a prosperous, inclusive, resilient, and sustainable future.', 'content' => '<p><span style="font-size:12pt"><span style="font-family:Cambria"><span style="font-family:Times">May 5: The Asia and the Pacific region can emerge from the coronavirus disease (COVID-19) pandemic “even stronger than before” by focusing on five areas to help achieve a prosperous, inclusive, resilient, and sustainable future, according to the President of the Asian Development Bank (ADB) President Masatsugu Asakawa.</span></span></span></p> <p><span style="font-size:12pt"><span style="font-family:Cambria"><span style="font-family:Times">In his remarks to the ADB Board of Governors at its 54<sup>th</sup> annual meeting on Wednesday, May 5, Asakawa said that he believes “the path we have laid out” will help lead our region out of these uncertain times.</span></span></span></p> <p><span style="font-size:12pt"><span style="font-family:Cambria"><span style="font-family:Times">“We will continue to deliver ADB’s unique synergy of finance, knowledge, and partnerships. And we will prioritize the quality of our assistance over quantity, meeting near-term needs with a clear vision for the future. If we stay on this course, I am confident the region will emerge from the current crisis even stronger than before,” he said.</span></span></span></p> <p><span style="font-size:12pt"><span style="font-family:Cambria"><span style="font-family:Times">According to a press statement issued by ADB, Asakawa outlined a five-point agenda for the region covering areas critical to achieving a lasting and equitable recovery for Asia and the Pacific:</span></span></span></p> <ul> <li><span style="font-size:12pt"><span style="font-family:Cambria"><span style="font-family:Times">Place ambitious climate actions at the center of development, with increased focus on adaptation and resilience, and with full commitment to the goals of the Paris Agreement.</span></span></span></li> <li><span style="font-size:12pt"><span style="font-family:Cambria"><span style="font-family:Times">Address inequality including the gender gap—which has worsened during the pandemic—by investing in health, education, and social protection.</span></span></span></li> <li><span style="font-size:12pt"><span style="font-family:Cambria"><span style="font-family:Times">Promote high-quality green and digital infrastructure, enabling economies to rebuild smartly while closing the digital gap and attracting substantial private investment.</span></span></span></li> <li><span style="font-size:12pt"><span style="font-family:Cambria"><span style="font-family:Times">Deepen regional cooperation and integration, so that ADB developing member countries can seize the opportunities of renewed globalization and strengthen regional health security.</span></span></span></li> <li><span style="font-size:12pt"><span style="font-family:Cambria"><span style="font-family:Times">And strengthen domestic resource mobilization, to ensure that governments have the resources they need to finance sustainable growth and respond effectively to future crises.</span></span></span></li> </ul> <p><span style="font-size:12pt"><span style="font-family:Cambria"><span style="font-family:Times">Action on these priorities can build on ADB’s response to COVID-19 in 2020. Its total commitments in 2020 reached a record high of $31.6 billion, with just over half supporting operations to respond to the pandemic, the statement added. The balance was committed to address long-term development issues such as the gender equality gap, the impacts of climate change, and investments in quality infrastructure. These achievements were supported by record-high co-financing of $16.4 billion and record-high capital market borrowings of over $35 billion.</span></span></span></p> <p><span style="font-size:12pt"><span style="font-family:Cambria"><span style="font-family:Times">“During the height of the pandemic, I reassured my staff that we will someday look back with pride at what we accomplished for the people of the region. I believe more than ever that this is true,” the statement quoted Asakawa as saying.</span></span></span></p> <p> </p> ', 'published' => true, 'created' => '2021-05-05', 'modified' => '2021-05-05', 'keywords' => '', 'description' => '', 'sortorder' => '13096', 'image' => '20210505093800_128216.jpeg', 'article_date' => '2021-05-05 21:37:11', 'homepage' => false, 'breaking_news' => false, 'main_news' => true, 'in_scroller' => false, 'user_id' => '34' ) ), (int) 12 => array( 'Article' => array( 'id' => '13350', 'article_category_id' => '1', 'title' => ' Fall Armyworms Attack Maize in 67 Districts', 'sub_title' => '', 'summary' => 'May 5: Maize planted in 67 districts across the country have been overwhelmed by fall armyworms. ', 'content' => '<p><span style="font-size:12pt"><span style="font-family:Cambria"><span style="font-size:14.0pt"><span style="font-family:Times">May 5: Maize planted in 67 districts across the country have been overwhelmed by fall armyworms. According to the Plant Quarantine and Pesticide Management Center, armyworms have attacked newly planted maize in all the districts of the Terai as well as some high hill districts. The pest especially damages crops like maize, wheat, and paddy. Last year, the pest had damaged crops in 63 districts.<br /> Sahadev Humagain, head of the Plant Quarantine and Pesticide Management Center, said that they have not been able to get the details of the extent of damage done to the maize crop planted in 67 districts. He informed that it was difficult to collect the details of the damage due to the lack of sufficient manpower.<br /> However, for the control and prevention of outbreak, the district-based agricultural knowledge centre and technicians from the local bodies have been trained and mobilized. It is also said that the centre is working to spread public awareness on armyworm outbreak control measures through various media.<br /> Entrepreneurs have said that the country has sufficient pesticides for pest control and prevention. However, transportation is a bit inconvenient due to the ongoing prohibition order. Currently, the demand for pesticides has surged in Dang, Banke, Bardiya, Rupandehi, Kapilvastu, Chitwan, Birgunj, Bara, Parsa, Rautahat, among other districts.<br /> Experts say that farmers and technicians have problems in controlling this insect even though they have received training about it. These insects are especially active between February to August. But in some Terai districts, these insects are active throughout the year, inform agronomists.<br /> Experts say that since this insect has adapted to Nepal's climate, it cannot be completely eradicated from the country. However, it can be controlled by being precautious and paying attention from the very beginning.<br /> According to Humagain, head of the centre, special attention should be given to healthy seeds, healthy soil, and balanced irrigation while planting crops to avoid pest infestation. He said that as the larvae of this insect would affect the crop more, it would be appropriate to kill the larvae using the recommended pesticides.</span></span></span></span></p> <p> </p> ', 'published' => true, 'created' => '2021-05-05', 'modified' => '2021-05-05', 'keywords' => '', 'description' => '', 'sortorder' => '13095', 'image' => '20210505033704_20181030022432_Makai.jpg', 'article_date' => '2021-05-05 15:36:08', 'homepage' => false, 'breaking_news' => false, 'main_news' => true, 'in_scroller' => false, 'user_id' => '34' ) ), (int) 13 => array( 'Article' => array( 'id' => '13349', 'article_category_id' => '1', 'title' => 'ADB Launches Tax Hub to Enhance Domestic Resource Mobilization and International Tax Cooperation', 'sub_title' => '', 'summary' => 'May 5: The Asian Development Bank (ADB) on Monday (May 3) launched the Asia Pacific Tax Hub.', 'content' => '<p><span style="font-size:12pt"><span style="font-family:Cambria"><span style="font-size:14.0pt"><span style="font-family:Times">May 5: </span></span><span style="font-size:14.0pt"><span style="font-family:Times">The Asian Development Bank (ADB) on Monday (May 3) launched the Asia Pacific Tax Hub to create an open and inclusive platform to promote strategic policy dialogue, improve knowledge sharing, and strengthen coordination on tax policy and administration among ADB, its members, and development partners.</span></span></span></span></p> <p><span style="font-size:12pt"><span style="font-family:Cambria"><span style="font-size:14.0pt"><span style="font-family:Times">ADB said in a statement that the hub will maximize regional and international resources to strengthen domestic resource mobilization (DRM) and international tax cooperation (ITC) in ADB’s developing member countries (DMCs).</span></span></span></span></p> <p><span style="font-size:12pt"><span style="font-family:Cambria"><span style="font-size:14.0pt"><span style="font-family:Times">“Domestic resource mobilization has emerged as a major strategic priority for our DMCs at this moment. It will be vital in the effort to address debt sustainability and to achieve the Sustainable Development Goals,” the statement quoted ADB President Masatsuga Asakawa as saying in a seminar at ADB’s 54<sup>th</sup> Annual Meeting.</span></span></span></span></p> <p><span style="font-size:12pt"><span style="font-family:Cambria"><span style="font-size:14.0pt"><span style="font-family:Times">“The lack of a pan-regional tax community has been a unique and significant shortcoming for Asia and the Pacific. To address this, I would like to announce today the official launch of the Asia Pacific Tax Hub,” he added. </span></span></span></span></p> <p><span style="font-size:12pt"><span style="font-family:Cambria"><span style="font-size:14.0pt"><span style="font-family:Times">According to ADB, the hub will support DMCs on three main building blocks – preparation of medium-term revenue strategies (MTRS); roadmaps for the automation of tax administration, and proactive participation in international tax initiatives.</span></span></span></span></p> <p><span style="font-size:12pt"><span style="font-family:Cambria"><span style="font-size:14.0pt"><span style="font-family:Times">The hub aims to play a key role by stimulating regional dialogue and knowledge sharing on needed reforms. Through the hub, ADB will </span></span><span style="font-size:14.0pt"><span style="font-family:Times">coordinate closely with the International Monetary Fund (IMF) to support DMCs as they formulate country-specific MTRS, with activities such as regional workshops in collaboration with the Platform for Collaboration on Tax and diagnostic tools like the Tax Administration Diagnostic Assessment Tool. </span></span></span></span></p> <p><span style="font-size:12pt"><span style="font-family:Cambria"><span style="font-size:14.0pt"><span style="font-family:Times">It will also</span></span> <span style="font-size:14.0pt"><span style="font-family:Times">conduct needs assessments to prepare roadmaps for the automation of tax administrations in DMCs, and support their implementation in collaboration with development partners and leading countries in this area.</span></span></span></span></p> <p><span style="font-size:12pt"><span style="font-family:Cambria"><span style="font-size:14.0pt"><span style="font-family:Times">ADB said it is establishing a secretariat to operationalize the hub and plans to organize a Steering Committee to bring together key development partners and DMCs willing to actively engage in the hub. It will work closely together with the hub secretariat to lead the operation of the hub. </span></span></span></span></p> <p><span style="font-size:12pt"><span style="font-family:Cambria"><span style="font-size:14.0pt"><span style="font-family:Times">The hub will organize a first High-Level Conference by the fourth quarter of 2021 to report on progress and discuss next steps on the three building blocks of the hub, including details of the operations of the hub secretariat and Steering Committee.</span></span></span></span></p> <p> </p> ', 'published' => true, 'created' => '2021-05-05', 'modified' => '2021-05-05', 'keywords' => '', 'description' => '', 'sortorder' => '13094', 'image' => '20210505032710_20200430022205_asian-development-bank-ru.jpg', 'article_date' => '2021-05-05 15:26:22', 'homepage' => false, 'breaking_news' => false, 'main_news' => true, 'in_scroller' => null, 'user_id' => '34' ) ), (int) 14 => array( 'Article' => array( 'id' => '13348', 'article_category_id' => '1', 'title' => 'Authorities Extend Prohibitory Order in Kathmandu Valley by a Week', 'sub_title' => '', 'summary' => 'May 5: The district administration offices in the Kathmandu valley have decided to extend the ongoing prohibitory order by one more week.', 'content' => '<p><span style="font-size:10pt"><span style="font-family:Times"><span style="font-size:14.0pt">May 5: The district administration offices in the Kathmandu valley have decided to extend the ongoing prohibitory order by one more week.</span></span></span></p> <p><span style="font-size:10pt"><span style="font-family:Times"><span style="font-size:14.0pt">A meeting of the chief district officers of Kathmandu, Lalitpur and Bhaktapur on Tuesday (May 4) took a decision to this effect. The DAOs extended the prohibitory orders in line with the recent cabinet decision allowing the districts chiefs to issue prohibitory orders for at least 15 days.</span></span></span></p> <p><span style="font-size:10pt"><span style="font-family:Times"><span style="font-size:14.0pt">The prohibitory order will be in force till May 12 now.</span></span></span></p> <p><span style="font-size:10pt"><span style="font-family:Times"><span style="font-size:14.0pt">The authorities have also decided to further tighten the restrictions during this period. </span></span></span></p> <p><span style="font-size:10pt"><span style="font-family:Times"><span style="font-size:14.0pt">According to the Chief District Officer of Kathmandu, Kali Prasad Parajuli, government authorities have decided to change the modality of prohibitory order to curb the disease. </span></span></span></p> <p><span style="font-size:10pt"><span style="font-family:Times"><span style="font-size:14.0pt">The district authorities have decided to bar movement of people except in case of emergency. </span></span></span></p> <p><span style="font-size:10pt"><span style="font-family:Times"><span style="font-size:14.0pt">“We will take action against anyone found moving around without any emergency,” said CDO Parajuli.</span></span></span></p> <p><span style="font-size:10pt"><span style="font-family:Times"><span style="font-size:14.0pt">Shops selling essential supplies will be allowed to operate from 7-9 am instead of 7-10 am and 5 pm to 7 pm.</span></span></span></p> <p><span style="font-size:10pt"><span style="font-family:Times"><span style="font-size:14.0pt">All permits issued for vehicles will be invalid from now.</span></span></span></p> <p><span style="font-size:10pt"><span style="font-family:Times"><span style="font-size:14.0pt">However, vehicles carrying essential goods and those supplying food will be allowed to operate during the prohibitory order. The prohibitory order does not apply to ambulances.</span></span></span></p> <p><span style="font-size:10pt"><span style="font-family:Times"><span style="font-size:14.0pt">Meanwhile, Banks and Financial Institutions will be allowed to operate at a 25 per cent capacity.</span></span></span></p> <p><span style="font-size:10pt"><span style="font-family:Times"><span style="font-size:14.0pt">The three districts in the valley imposed prohibitory order on April 29 following a rise in number of Covid-19 cases. The government has authorised Chief District Officers to impose such orders.</span></span></span></p> ', 'published' => true, 'created' => '2021-05-05', 'modified' => '2021-05-05', 'keywords' => '', 'description' => '', 'sortorder' => '13093', 'image' => '20210505125006_1620171246.Clipboard09.jpg', 'article_date' => '2021-05-05 12:49:21', 'homepage' => false, 'breaking_news' => false, 'main_news' => true, 'in_scroller' => null, 'user_id' => '34' ) ) ) $current_user = null $logged_in = falsesimplexml_load_file - [internal], line ?? include - APP/View/Elements/side_bar.ctp, line 60 View::_evaluate() - CORE/Cake/View/View.php, line 971 View::_render() - CORE/Cake/View/View.php, line 933 View::_renderElement() - CORE/Cake/View/View.php, line 1224 View::element() - CORE/Cake/View/View.php, line 418 include - APP/View/Articles/index.ctp, line 157 View::_evaluate() - CORE/Cake/View/View.php, line 971 View::_render() - CORE/Cake/View/View.php, line 933 View::render() - CORE/Cake/View/View.php, line 473 Controller::render() - CORE/Cake/Controller/Controller.php, line 968 Dispatcher::_invoke() - CORE/Cake/Routing/Dispatcher.php, line 200 Dispatcher::dispatch() - CORE/Cake/Routing/Dispatcher.php, line 167 [main] - APP/webroot/index.php, line 117
Notice (8): Undefined variable: file [APP/View/Elements/side_bar.ctp, line 133]Code Context// $file = 'http://aabhiyan:QUVLg8Wzs2F7G9N7@nepalstock.com.np/api/subindexdata.xml';if(!$xml = simplexml_load_file($file)){$viewFile = '/var/www/html/newbusinessage.com/app/View/Elements/side_bar.ctp' $dataForView = array( 'articles' => array( (int) 0 => array( 'Article' => array( [maximum depth reached] ) ), (int) 1 => array( 'Article' => array( [maximum depth reached] ) ), (int) 2 => array( 'Article' => array( [maximum depth reached] ) ), (int) 3 => array( 'Article' => array( [maximum depth reached] ) ), (int) 4 => array( 'Article' => array( [maximum depth reached] ) ), (int) 5 => array( 'Article' => array( [maximum depth reached] ) ), (int) 6 => array( 'Article' => array( [maximum depth reached] ) ), (int) 7 => array( 'Article' => array( [maximum depth reached] ) ), (int) 8 => array( 'Article' => array( [maximum depth reached] ) ), (int) 9 => array( 'Article' => array( [maximum depth reached] ) ), (int) 10 => array( 'Article' => array( [maximum depth reached] ) ), (int) 11 => array( 'Article' => array( [maximum depth reached] ) ), (int) 12 => array( 'Article' => array( [maximum depth reached] ) ), (int) 13 => array( 'Article' => array( [maximum depth reached] ) ), (int) 14 => array( 'Article' => array( [maximum depth reached] ) ) ), 'current_user' => null, 'logged_in' => false ) $articles = array( (int) 0 => array( 'Article' => array( 'id' => '13363', 'article_category_id' => '1', 'title' => 'Pandemic is Under Control: PM Oli', 'sub_title' => '', 'summary' => 'May 9: At a time when the country is facing severe crisis due to Covid-19 pandemic, Prime Minister KP Sharma Oli has claimed that the situation is still under control.', 'content' => '<p><span style="font-size:10pt"><span style="font-family:Times"><span style="font-size:14.0pt"><span style="font-family:"Arial Unicode MS"">May 9: At a time when the country is facing severe crisis due to Covid-19 pandemic, Prime Minister KP Sharma Oli has claimed that the situation is still under control.</span></span></span></span></p> <p><span style="font-size:10pt"><span style="font-family:Times"><span style="font-size:14.0pt"><span style="font-family:"Arial Unicode MS"">The prime minister made such claim in an interview with American news channel CNN on Saturday morning (May 8).</span></span></span></span></p> <p><span style="font-size:10pt"><span style="font-family:Times"><span style="font-size:14.0pt"><span style="font-family:"Arial Unicode MS"">The remark made by Prime Minister Oli has caused massive backlash. Social media was abuzz the whole day with criticism of PM Oli for his remark as the crisis was deepening across the country. Critics said that the prime minister lost an opportunity to seek international support by giving a false statement. They were of the view that Oli should have given the real picture and that could have helped the government receive foreign assistance to fight the pandemic.</span></span></span></span></p> <p><span style="font-size:10pt"><span style="font-family:Times"><span style="font-size:14.0pt"><span style="font-family:"Arial Unicode MS"">During the interview, PM Oli said that the first wave of coronavirus had come under control but there was an outbreak of second wave due to the negligence of the public.</span></span></span></span></p> <p><span style="font-size:10pt"><span style="font-family:Times"><span style="font-size:14.0pt"><span style="font-family:"Arial Unicode MS"">“We had brought the infection under control last year. The death toll had dropped to zero. New infection was below 50 per day. But the general people thought that the pandemic had ended and were negligent. That caused the second wave of coronavirus,” PM Oli told CNN.</span></span></span></span></p> <p><span style="font-size:10pt"><span style="font-family:Times"><span style="font-size:14.0pt"><span style="font-family:"Arial Unicode MS"">“We have mobilized all our mechanisms to bring the situation under control,” he added.</span></span></span></span></p> <p><span style="font-size:10pt"><span style="font-family:Times"><span style="font-size:14.0pt"><span style="font-family:"Arial Unicode MS"">The prime minister further said that the government has been busy in creating awareness among the people to save lives. Although the prime minister maintained that the situation was under control, the health ministry had recently said that the rate of infection is rising at an alarming rate and that the health facilities of the country were not able to cope with the situation.</span></span></span></span></p> <p><span style="font-size:10pt"><span style="font-family:Times"><span style="font-size:14.0pt"><span style="font-family:"Arial Unicode MS"">According to the data provided by the ministry, a total of 53 people died due to the disease across the country on Saturday alone. Daily infection has climbed above 8,000 while the number of active cases is almost 100,000.</span></span></span></span></p> <p> </p> ', 'published' => true, 'created' => '2021-05-09', 'modified' => '2021-05-09', 'keywords' => '', 'description' => '', 'sortorder' => '13108', 'image' => '20210509121210_1620516771.Clipboard12.jpg', 'article_date' => '2021-05-09 12:11:20', 'homepage' => false, 'breaking_news' => false, 'main_news' => true, 'in_scroller' => null, 'user_id' => '34' ) ), (int) 1 => array( 'Article' => array( 'id' => '13362', 'article_category_id' => '1', 'title' => 'No Infection at Everest Base Camp: Tourism Ministry', 'sub_title' => '', 'summary' => 'May 9: The Ministry of Culture, Tourism and Civil Aviation has clarified there is no health safety risks at Everest Base Camp. ', 'content' => '<p><span style="font-size:11pt"><span style="font-family:Cambria"><span style="font-size:14.0pt"><span style="font-family:"Arial Unicode MS"">May 9: The Ministry of Culture, Tourism and Civil Aviation has clarified there is no health safety risks at Everest Base Camp. </span></span></span></span></p> <p><span style="font-size:11pt"><span style="font-family:Cambria"><strong><span style="font-size:14.0pt"><span style="font-family:"Arial Unicode MS"">T</span></span></strong><span style="font-size:14.0pt"><span style="font-family:"Arial Unicode MS"">he ministry said in a statement that its attention has been drawn towards the recent news reports that some members of the Everest expedition teams for the spring season had tested positive for Covid-19, raising fears of a serious outbreak. </span></span><br /> <span style="font-size:14.0pt"><span style="font-family:"Arial Unicode MS"">“There is no such risk at Everest Base Camp as claimed by some media,’’ the state-owned national news agency RSS reported citing the ministry.</span></span></span></span></p> <p><span style="font-size:11pt"><span style="font-family:Cambria"><span style="font-size:14.0pt"><span style="font-family:"Arial Unicode MS"">Some domestic and international media recently published reports claiming that the virus had spread at the base camp and climbers faced great risk of infection. </span></span><br /> <span style="font-size:14.0pt"><span style="font-family:"Arial Unicode MS"">According to the ministry, 774 people of 86 expedition teams from 79 countries have acquired permission for climbing Everest this season and they all have followed the health safety protocols to the possible extent.</span></span></span></span></p> <p><span style="font-size:11pt"><span style="font-family:Cambria"><span style="font-size:14.0pt"><span style="font-family:"Arial Unicode MS"">Spokesperson of the ministry, Taranath Adhikari, said that a liaison officer has been mobilized to oversee activities of each expedition team and report any important incident and information relating to the pandemic. </span></span></span></span></p> <p><span style="font-size:11pt"><span style="font-family:Cambria"><span style="font-size:14.0pt"><span style="font-family:"Arial Unicode MS"">“Based on the available information, we can say there is no such infection risk at Everest Base Camp as reported in media,” he said. </span></span><br /> <span style="font-size:14.0pt"><span style="font-family:"Arial Unicode MS"">The ministry has urged one and all not to entertain and disseminate unreliable and unverified information, creating fears among members of the expedition teams and their families and to follow information provided by official sources. </span></span><br /> <span style="font-size:14.0pt"><span style="font-family:"Arial Unicode MS"">A Covid-19 crisis facilitation and coordination unit has been formed under the coordination of joint-secretary Buddisagar Lamichhane to make arrangements for the rescue of any climber and trekker in adverse situation and escort her/him to the destination safely. </span></span><br /> <span style="font-size:14.0pt"><span style="font-family:"Arial Unicode MS"">The climbing for this season has officially kicked off with Kami Rita Sherpa successfully reaching the top of Everest at 18:00 pm on Friday (May 7) as a leader of rope fixing team, along with 11 other Sherpas (icefall doctors). This is a record 25th ascent of Everest by Kami Rita Sherpa. </span></span></span></span></p> ', 'published' => true, 'created' => '2021-05-09', 'modified' => '2021-05-09', 'keywords' => '', 'description' => '', 'sortorder' => '13107', 'image' => '20210509114233_20210219104343_20201108030120_Contribution of Mountains to the Tourism Economy_1.jpg', 'article_date' => '2021-05-09 11:41:47', 'homepage' => false, 'breaking_news' => false, 'main_news' => true, 'in_scroller' => null, 'user_id' => '34' ) ), (int) 2 => array( 'Article' => array( 'id' => '13360', 'article_category_id' => '1', 'title' => 'Govt conducting study on impacts of Covid-19 on foreign employment', 'sub_title' => '', 'summary' => 'The Department of Foreign Employment (DoFE) has started a study into the impact of the second wave of Covid-19 on foreign employment. ', 'content' => '<p>May 8: The Department of Foreign Employment (DoFE) has started a study into the impact of the second wave of Covid-19 on foreign employment. </p> <p>Krishna Prasad Dawadi, Director General of the DoFE, said that the department is carrying out a study on the impact of Covid-19 on foreign employment sector in collaboration with the Ministry of Foreign Affairs (MoFA) and associations of recruiting firms.</p> <p>The department has requested the MoFA and associations of manpower companies to collect data of workers affected by the Covid-19 as well as other details on the impact of the pandemic on foreign employment from the respective embassies of the labor destination countries, according to Dawadi. </p> <p>He said that they have sought details on the Covid-19 situation in the destination countries, impact of pandemic on Nepali workers working abroad and their current condition. </p> <p>Following the outbreak of the second wave of Covid-19, the number of Nepali workers going for foreign employment has been falling in line with a decline in the demand for workers from labor receiving countries. <br /> “Since the international flights were suspended from May 6, the number of migrant workers leaving for foreign employment on Wednesday and Thursday was the highest if compared to the average number of workers leaving the country in recent months. However, the number of Nepali workers going abroad was already on a declining trend," said Dawadi.</p> <p>“We cannot say for sure that the second wave of the Covid-19 is the cause for the decline. So, we have decided to conduct the study,” he said. </p> <p>According to Dawadi, the study would help the government to understand how Nepali workers are impacted by the Covid-19 while working abroad as well as come up with relief and other necessary support to them. </p> <p>Foreign employment was severely affected by the first wave of Covid-19 and subsequent containment measures including the lockdown imposed in Nepal and destination countries. Thousands of Nepali workers were unable to go for foreign employment while many people returned home after losing their jobs abroad. <br /> The demand for workers was gradually increasing after the effects of Covid-19 started to subside. However, the unfolding Covid-19 crisis is once again hitting the foreign employment sector. <br /> Though international flights have been suspended, the department has not stopped distribution of work permits. The DoFE has started online services to issue work permits to Nepali workers to go for foreign employment. According to Dawadi, the DoFE has not stopped issuing work permits to avoid a backlog of applications for work permits and ensure that the department is not crowded with workers after the ongoing prohibitory period ends. <br /> </p> ', 'published' => true, 'created' => '2021-05-08', 'modified' => '2021-05-08', 'keywords' => '', 'description' => '', 'sortorder' => '13105', 'image' => '20210508021733_Foreign Employment.jpg', 'article_date' => '2021-05-08 14:45:41', 'homepage' => true, 'breaking_news' => false, 'main_news' => true, 'in_scroller' => true, 'user_id' => '35' ) ), (int) 3 => array( 'Article' => array( 'id' => '13359', 'article_category_id' => '1', 'title' => 'NTB Sets up Crisis Management and Communication Cell to Rescue Tourists', 'sub_title' => '', 'summary' => 'May 7: Nepal Tourism Board (NTB) has set up a Crisis Management and Communication Cell (CMCC) for coordination and rescue of tourists stranded in different parts of the country following the prohibition order imposed by the government.', 'content' => '<p><span style="font-size:12pt"><span style="font-family:Cambria">May 7: Nepal Tourism Board (NTB) has set up a Crisis Management and Communication Cell (CMCC) for coordination and rescue of tourists stranded in different parts of the country following the prohibition order imposed by the government.<br /> The CMCC will facilitate in rescue and coordination of tourists and also monitor and manage hotel quarantine for passengers coming to Nepal from India under the Nepal-India air bubble agreement.<br /> Accordingly, CMCC has rescued 11 foreigners from Langtang, 4 Ukrainians from Pokhara, and 2 Americans from Lukla and brought them to Kathmandu. Similarly, as per the decision of the Ministry of Culture, Tourism and Civil Aviation dated April 21, the tourism board has prepared hotel quarantine criteria for air passengers and facilitated them by liaising and coordinating with the hotels listed by the Ministry.<br /> The board has set up hotlines and emails (Hotline: 9851252666, Email:<br /> <a href="mailto:crisiscell@ntb.org.np" style="color:blue; text-decoration:underline">crisiscell@ntb.org.np</a>, website:-<a href="http://www.welcomenepal.com/plan-your-trip/covid-19" style="color:blue; text-decoration:underline">www.welcomenepal.com/plan-your-trip/covid-19</a>) to ensure that no tourist is stranded due to lack of necessary information during the pandemic.</span></span><br /> <br /> </p> ', 'published' => true, 'created' => '2021-05-07', 'modified' => '2021-05-07', 'keywords' => '', 'description' => '', 'sortorder' => '13104', 'image' => '20210507054326_202009.jpg', 'article_date' => '2021-05-07 17:42:36', 'homepage' => false, 'breaking_news' => false, 'main_news' => true, 'in_scroller' => null, 'user_id' => '34' ) ), (int) 4 => array( 'Article' => array( 'id' => '13358', 'article_category_id' => '1', 'title' => 'Government Likely to Announce Agriculture Budget of 36.23 Billion', 'sub_title' => '', 'summary' => 'May 7: The government is preparing to announce a budget of Rs 36.23 billion for the agriculture sector in the coming fiscal year (FY 2021/21).', 'content' => '<p><span style="font-size:12pt"><span style="font-family:Cambria"><span style="font-size:14.0pt"><span style="font-family:Times">May 7: The government is preparing to announce a budget of Rs 36.23 billion for the agriculture sector in the coming fiscal year (FY 2021/21). The proposed budget is less than the budget allocated in the current fiscal year by Rs 5 billion.<br /> Last year, the government had allocated a budget of Rs 41.40 billion for the agriculture sector. Based on the ceiling set by the Ministry of Finance, the Ministry of Agriculture and Livestock Development is currently drafting the budget for the agriculture sector.<br /> During a virtual programme on 'Coronavirus Pandemic and Agriculture Budget' organized by the Association of Agricultural Journalists (ANAJ) on Thursday, May 6, Joint Secretary of the Ministry of Agriculture and Livestock Development and Head of the Planning Branch Dr Hari Bahadur KC said that the ministry is preparing a budget of Rs 36.23 billion for the agriculture sector in the coming fiscal year.<br /> Out of the total budget for the agriculture sector, about 25 percent of the budget will be allocated for chemical fertilizers. KC said that a large amount of money had to be allocated for chemical fertilizer which is a major need for agricultural production.<br /> Likewise, Rs 3.21 billion will be spent on the Prime Minister's Agriculture Modernization Project, and more than Rs 3 billion on the Nepal Agricultural Research Institute (NARC).<br /> Similarly, Rs 3 billion has also been allocated for the Department of Agriculture and the Department of Animal Husbandry. A total of Rs 14 billion has been allocated under the subsidy heading, of which Rs 15 million will be allocated for various types of agricultural insurance and Rs 1 billion for sugarcane farmers. Likewise, Rs 8 billion has been allocated for the local and state governments, while Rs 1.60 billion will be allocated for financial budget management.<br /> The budget also emphasizes formulating the organic manure mission programme, digital soil mapping, and increasing the scope of soil testing. Likewise, the government plans to set up as many as 100 fruit nurseries, make fisheries self-reliant, and increase milk production and improve its distribution and storage systems. For that, plans have been made to build a powdered milk factory in Kohalpur and milk storage facilities in Biratnagar and Bhairahawa.</span></span></span></span></p> <p> </p> <p> </p> ', 'published' => true, 'created' => '2021-05-07', 'modified' => '2021-05-07', 'keywords' => '', 'description' => '', 'sortorder' => '13103', 'image' => '20210507033217_1620343279.2.jpg', 'article_date' => '2021-05-07 15:31:44', 'homepage' => false, 'breaking_news' => false, 'main_news' => true, 'in_scroller' => null, 'user_id' => '34' ) ), (int) 5 => array( 'Article' => array( 'id' => '13357', 'article_category_id' => '1', 'title' => 'Private Sector ‘Surprised’ by Government’s Decision to Increase Minimum Wage of Workers ', 'sub_title' => '', 'summary' => 'May 7: Stakeholders of the private sector have said their serious attention has been drawn towards the government’s decision to raise the minimum wage of workers.', 'content' => '<p><span style="font-size:11pt"><span style="font-family:Cambria"><span style="font-size:14.0pt"><span style="font-family:"Arial Unicode MS"">May 7: Stakeholders of the private sector have said their serious attention has been drawn towards the government’s decision to raise the minimum wage of workers.</span></span></span></span></p> <p><span style="font-size:11pt"><span style="font-family:Cambria"><span style="font-size:14.0pt"><span style="font-family:"Arial Unicode MS"">The Federation of Nepali Chamber of Commerce and Industries (FNCCI), Confederation of Nepalese Industries (CNI) and Nepal Chamber of Commerce (NCC) have said that the minimum wage fixed by the government of workers would be difficult to implement owing to the current crisis of Covid-19. </span></span><br /> <span style="font-size:14.0pt"><span style="font-family:"Arial Unicode MS"">Issuing a joint press statement here today, the umbrella bodies of entrepreneurs in the country have urged the government not to interfere in the process of determining wages for the labourers. </span></span></span></span></p> <p><span style="font-size:11pt"><span style="font-family:Cambria"><span style="font-size:14.0pt"><span style="font-family:"Arial Unicode MS"">In a notice published on the Nepal Gazette on May 3, the government had raised the minimum wage of workers effective from the upcoming fiscal year. As per the decision, employers have to pay a labourer a minimum wage of Rs 15,000 per month from the next fiscal year. </span></span><br /> <span style="font-size:14.0pt"><span style="font-family:"Arial Unicode MS"">The organizations have said that the partial and full prohibitory order enforced in 56 districts in the country to contain the second wave of Covid-19 had affected over 700,000 enterprises. They were of the view that the private sector enterprises might not be able to pay regular wages in such a situation.</span></span></span></span></p> <p><span style="font-size:11pt"><span style="font-family:Cambria"><span style="font-size:14.0pt"><span style="font-family:"Arial Unicode MS"">The statement added that the private sector has been struggling to meet the daily expenses as the prohibitory orders have been extended by the government. In such a situation, they expressed surprise at the government’s decision to increase the minimum wage of workers. </span></span><br /> <span style="font-size:14.0pt"><span style="font-family:"Arial Unicode MS"">At a time when the small and medium scale enterprises have been hardest hit due to the health crisis, the organizations, through the press statement, have appealed to the government not to interfere in the determination of the minimum wages of the workers. They said that they will decide the matter on the basis of mutual understanding. </span></span></span></span><br /> </p> <p> </p> ', 'published' => true, 'created' => '2021-05-07', 'modified' => '2021-05-07', 'keywords' => '', 'description' => '', 'sortorder' => '13102', 'image' => '20210507123102_1620290616.jpg', 'article_date' => '2021-05-07 12:30:11', 'homepage' => false, 'breaking_news' => false, 'main_news' => true, 'in_scroller' => null, 'user_id' => '34' ) ), (int) 6 => array( 'Article' => array( 'id' => '13356', 'article_category_id' => '1', 'title' => 'Leaders and Experts Share Mixed Views on MCC ', 'sub_title' => '', 'summary' => 'May 7: Political leaders and experts have called for clarity on policies regarding foreign assistance adding that national sovereignty and national interests were above all other considerations, according to the state-owned national news agency RSS. ', 'content' => '<p><span style="font-size:11pt"><span style="font-family:Cambria"><span style="font-family:"Arial Unicode MS"">May 7: Political leaders and experts have called for clarity on policies regarding foreign assistance adding that national sovereignty and national interests were above all other considerations, according to the state-owned national news agency RSS. </span><br /> <span style="font-family:"Arial Unicode MS"">Speaking at a recent programme, the politicians expressed diverse views over the Millennium Challenge Corporation (MCC) and ratification of the MCC Compact from the parliament. </span><br /> <span style="font-family:"Arial Unicode MS"">During the virtual programme organized by Friends of Silk Road and Nepal China Friendship Forum on Thursday, former Deputy Prime Minister and Defense Minister Bhim Rawal took exception to some of the points of MCC agreement. </span><br /> <span style="font-family:"Arial Unicode MS"">Rawal reiterated that the some issues of MCC should be amended otherwise the parliament should not ratify it, RSS reported. </span><br /> <span style="font-family:"Arial Unicode MS"">However, former Foreign Affairs Minister and Nepali Congress leader Dr Prakash Sharan Mahat praised the MCC Compact stating that the MCC Board is chaired by Secretary of the Finance Ministry to facilitate the timely completion of projects and it is in Nepal’s national interest. </span><br /> <span style="font-family:"Arial Unicode MS"">Dr Mahat was of the view that the grant received under the MCC would be mobilized as per Nepal’s laws. According to RSS, Mahat added that the MCC in Nepal was brought into controversy due to misleading information and propaganda. </span><br /> <span style="font-family:"Arial Unicode MS"">Likewise, Gyanendra Lal Pradhan of the Confederation of Nepalese Industries backed the MCC stating that it is more focused on development of infrastructures and it has nothing to do with politics. He argued that power grid is important in Nepal and added that electricity price will go up in Nepal if the transmission lines were not completed.</span></span></span></p> <p><span style="font-size:11pt"><span style="font-family:Cambria"><span style="font-family:"Arial Unicode MS"">President of Friend of Silk Road Dr Kalyan Raj Sharma said that the programme was organised to inform the people and welcome healthy discussions of stakeholders and experts. </span></span></span></p> ', 'published' => true, 'created' => '2021-05-07', 'modified' => '2021-05-07', 'keywords' => '', 'description' => '', 'sortorder' => '13101', 'image' => '20210507114916_20200914112314_1600032154.2.jpg', 'article_date' => '2021-05-07 11:48:43', 'homepage' => false, 'breaking_news' => false, 'main_news' => true, 'in_scroller' => null, 'user_id' => '34' ) ), (int) 7 => array( 'Article' => array( 'id' => '13355', 'article_category_id' => '1', 'title' => 'Financial Picture Challenging due to Covid-19, says Finance Minister ', 'sub_title' => '', 'summary' => 'May 6: Minister for Finance Bishnu Prasad Poudel has admitted that the second wave of coronavirus has posed a serious threat to the financial future of the country. ', 'content' => '<p><span style="font-size:16px"><span style="font-family:Cambria"><span style="font-family:"Arial Unicode MS"">May 6: Minister for Finance Bishnu Prasad Poudel has admitted that the second wave of coronavirus has posed a serious threat to the financial future of the country. </span><br /> <span style="font-family:"Arial Unicode MS"">Addressing an informal meeting of the SAARC Finance Ministers virtually on Wednesday (May 5), Minister Poudel said, “We have faced obstacle to achieve financial growth due to the multifaceted effects of Covid-19 in inclusive and sustainable development.” </span><br /> <span style="font-family:"Arial Unicode MS"">In the virtual meeting held on the sidelines of the 54th Annual Meeting of the Asian Development Bank (ADB), Poudel reiterated that although utmost efforts were made to bring the situation under control by uplifting the economy, the current circumstances have painted a grim picture of Nepal's economy. </span><br /> <span style="font-family:"Arial Unicode MS"">Stating that the outbreak of second wave of Covid-19 had caused a huge setback to the economy of Nepal, Minister Poudel said that the tourism sector and other service sectors were most affected by the pandemic. </span><br /> <span style="font-family:"Arial Unicode MS"">The adverse effects of Covid-19 has been reflected in the cut down in jobs, lay-offs of the employees, loss in business among others, argued the Minister. He added that Covid-19 had posed challenges for efforts aimed at promoting inclusiveness, human development and alleviating poverty. </span><br /> <span style="font-family:"Arial Unicode MS"">The Minister also expressed his view that it was imperative to ensure that all the countries had access to procure the vaccines against coronavirus. On the occasion, he extended gratefulness towards the government of India for providing vaccines against Covid-19 and said that it had enabled launching of vaccination drive in the SAARC region. </span><br /> <span style="font-family:"Arial Unicode MS"">He pressed for formulating policies and strategies by all the SAARC-member nations to cushion the effects of Covid-19 on the SAARC region’s economy and to promote local production in the developing nations of the region. </span><br /> <span style="font-family:"Arial Unicode MS"">During the meeting, Minister Poudel extended his thankfulness to the ADB for its financial and technical support to Nepal in its covid-19 response and efforts to promote economic activities. </span><br /> <span style="font-family:"Arial Unicode MS"">The finance ministers of SAARC and delegates had univocally underscored the need for mutual cooperation for socio-economic recovery to cushion the effect of Covid-19 on the economy of SAARC region. -- RSS</span></span></span></p> ', 'published' => true, 'created' => '2021-05-06', 'modified' => '2021-05-06', 'keywords' => '', 'description' => '', 'sortorder' => '13100', 'image' => '20210506032215_20210110034934_1610265858.jpg', 'article_date' => '2021-05-06 15:20:47', 'homepage' => false, 'breaking_news' => false, 'main_news' => true, 'in_scroller' => null, 'user_id' => '34' ) ), (int) 8 => array( 'Article' => array( 'id' => '13354', 'article_category_id' => '1', 'title' => 'Supply Chain of Construction Materials Affected: FCAN', 'sub_title' => '', 'summary' => 'May 6: The Federation of Contractors’ Associations of Nepal (FCAN) has reportedly stated that the construction entrepreneurs and stakeholders are facing difficulties to carry out construction works due to the ongoing prohibitory order issued in the capital and other districts. ', 'content' => '<p><span style="font-size:11pt"><span style="font-family:Cambria"><span style="font-family:"Arial Unicode MS"">May 6: The Federation of Contractors’ Associations of Nepal (FCAN) has reportedly stated that the construction entrepreneurs and stakeholders are facing difficulties to carry out construction works due to the ongoing prohibitory order issued in the capital and other districts. </span><br /> <span style="font-family:"Arial Unicode MS"">The FCAN said in a statement that the movement of vehicles supplying construction materials have been obstructed in different places, and are not given an easy access by security forces. </span></span></span></p> <p><span style="font-size:11pt"><span style="font-family:Cambria"><span style="font-family:"Arial Unicode MS"">Although factories are producing construction materials, the supply chain and availability of the produced goods have been badly affected as dealers and distributors have not been allowed to operate their business, FCAN noted. </span><br /> <span style="font-family:"Arial Unicode MS"">The statement further says that FCAN’s attention was drawn seriously to the unusual price hike of construction materials during the time of prohibitory order. </span><br /> <span style="font-family:"Arial Unicode MS"">The statement issued by general secretary of FCAN Roshan Dahal also added that construction work is likely to be affected in densely-populated areas and some other construction sites. </span></span></span><br /> </p> ', 'published' => true, 'created' => '2021-05-06', 'modified' => '2021-05-06', 'keywords' => '', 'description' => '', 'sortorder' => '13099', 'image' => '20210506031251_20200415125719_1586906108.jpg', 'article_date' => '2021-05-06 15:12:14', 'homepage' => false, 'breaking_news' => false, 'main_news' => true, 'in_scroller' => null, 'user_id' => '34' ) ), (int) 9 => array( 'Article' => array( 'id' => '13353', 'article_category_id' => '1', 'title' => 'Government Prepares Draft of Policies and Programmes ', 'sub_title' => '', 'summary' => 'May 6: The Office of the Prime Minister and Council of Ministers has prepared the draft of the policies and programmes for the upcoming fiscal year (FY 2021/22).', 'content' => '<p><span style="font-size:12pt"><span style="font-family:Cambria"><span style="font-size:11.0pt"><span style="font-family:Arial">May 6: The Office of the Prime Minister and Council of Ministers has prepared the draft of the policies and programmes for the upcoming fiscal year (FY 2021/22).</span></span></span></span></p> <p><span style="font-size:12pt"><span style="font-family:Cambria"><span style="font-size:11.0pt"><span style="font-family:Arial">Government officials confirmed that the draft of the policies and programmes has been prepared and will be presented at a joint session of the House of Representatives and National Assembly by President Bidhya Devi Bhandari on behalf of the government. As per the constitutional provision, the fiscal budget should be presented on the 15th day in the month of Jestha (May 29). The policies and programmes should be presented before the budget. However, the budget session has already been delayed this time.</span></span></span></span></p> <p><span style="font-size:12pt"><span style="font-family:Cambria"> <span style="font-size:11.0pt"><span style="font-family:Arial">Spokesperson of the Parliament Secretariat, Rojnath Pandey, said that all preparations for the budget session has been made but it is not certain when the policies and programmes will be tabled in the parliament as the budget session has not been called yet. A special session of parliament has been called for May 10 to seek vote of confidence by Prime Minister KP Oli.</span></span></span></span></p> <p><span style="font-size:12pt"><span style="font-family:Cambria"><span style="font-size:11.0pt"><span style="font-family:Arial">According to a senior official involved in preparing the draft of the policies and programmes, the government has given priority to the construction of state-of-the-art hospitals at every local level. Similarly, relief packages will be introduced for the industries affected by COVID-19 pandemic and programmes will be included to expedite the development process.</span></span></span></span></p> <p><span style="font-size:12pt"><span style="font-family:Cambria"><span style="font-size:11.0pt"><span style="font-family:Arial">The policies and programmes will also focus on increasing economic activities, invest in the productive sector, prioritize internal resource mobilization and reduce unnecessary expenses in light of the COVID-19 crisis.</span></span></span></span></p> <p><span style="font-size:12pt"><span style="font-family:Cambria"><span style="font-size:11.0pt"><span style="font-family:Arial">According to the official, the policies and programmes have prioritized commercial farming, industrial development and increasing productivity, completion of national pride projects within the deadline.</span></span></span></span></p> <p><span style="font-size:12pt"><span style="font-family:Cambria"><span style="font-size:11.0pt"><span style="font-family:Arial">The government is set to announce an increase in old-age allowance so that elderly people can look after themselves and implement the new minimum salary strictly from mid-July. The government is also preparing to introduce incentives for innovation, special discounts for export-oriented industries, special emphasis on the Digital Nepal campaign, and additional employment generation programmes through the Prime Minister's Employment Programme.</span></span></span></span></p> <p><span style="font-size:12pt"><span style="font-family:Cambria"><span style="font-size:11.0pt"><span style="font-family:Arial">In the mid-February, Chief Secretary Shankar Das Bairagi had instructed the secretaries to prepare policies and programs that are worthy of implementation. He had also instructed them to formulate policies and programs by holding necessary discussions to avoid duplication with the local level programmes.</span></span></span></span></p> <p> </p> ', 'published' => true, 'created' => '2021-05-06', 'modified' => '2021-05-06', 'keywords' => '', 'description' => '', 'sortorder' => '13098', 'image' => '20210506025841_20210409035508_20200409120151_1586383527.jpg', 'article_date' => '2021-05-06 14:51:58', 'homepage' => false, 'breaking_news' => false, 'main_news' => true, 'in_scroller' => null, 'user_id' => '34' ) ), (int) 10 => array( 'Article' => array( 'id' => '13352', 'article_category_id' => '1', 'title' => 'Employers Unhappy Over Government’s Decision to Raise Minimum Wage', 'sub_title' => '', 'summary' => 'May 6: Private sector employers have expressed dissatisfaction over the government's decision to raise the minimum salary of workers to be implemented from the start of the upcoming fiscal year.', 'content' => '<p><span style="font-size:12pt"><span style="font-family:Cambria"><span style="font-size:11.0pt"><span style="font-family:Arial">May 6: Private sector employers have expressed dissatisfaction over the government's decision to raise the minimum salary of workers to be implemented from the start of the upcoming fiscal year.</span></span></span></span></p> <p><span style="font-size:12pt"><span style="font-family:Cambria"><span style="font-size:11.0pt"><span style="font-family:Arial">Employers are dissatisfied that the government has taken a unilateral decision amidst this crisis when employers are concerned about sustaining business and providing salary to the current employees.</span></span></span></span></p> <p><span style="font-size:12pt"><span style="font-family:Cambria"><span style="font-size:11.0pt"><span style="font-family:Arial">The Ministry of Labour, Employment and Social Security had issued a notice on Nepal Gazette on May 4, fixing the minimum wage. Since then, umbrella organization of employees and employers have come forward with various views.</span></span></span></span></p> <p><span style="font-size:12pt"><span style="font-family:Cambria"><span style="font-size:11.0pt"><span style="font-family:Arial">The Labor Act requires the minimum wage be fixed on a monthly, daily and hourly basis in every two years. In the Fiscal Year 2018/19, the minimum salary was raised to Rs 13,450 but in the Fiscal Year 2019/20 and the current fiscal year, the minimum wage was not increased. </span></span></span></span></p> <p><span style="font-size:12pt"><span style="font-family:Cambria"><span style="font-size:11.0pt"><span style="font-family:Arial">According to the Nepal Gazette, the increased salary will be implemented from mid-July of Fiscal Year 2021/22. As soon as this notice was published, the private sector expressed dissatisfaction. The umbrella organization of the private sector has engaged in discussions to publish their formal statement.</span></span></span></span></p> <p><span style="font-size:12pt"><span style="font-family:Cambria"> </span></span><span style="font-size:12pt"><span style="font-family:Cambria"><span style="font-size:11.0pt"><span style="font-family:Arial">Shekhar Golchha, president of the Federation of Nepalese Chambers of Commerce and Industry (FNCCI) said that the government's decision has disappointed them. No discussions have been held with the FNCCI though it is the primary organization concerned with the decision. </span></span></span></span></p> <p><span style="font-size:12pt"><span style="font-family:Cambria"><span style="font-size:11.0pt"><span style="font-family:Arial">He said that the focus should be on how to secure current employment rather than on increasing minimum wages. "It may be reasonable according to the Act, but this is not the right time to raise the minimum wage, since we are in the middle of a global crisis," Golchha said.</span></span></span></span></p> <p><span style="font-size:12pt"><span style="font-family:Cambria"><span style="font-size:11.0pt"><span style="font-family:Arial">Rajesh Agrawal, vice president of the Confederation of Nepalese Industries (CNI) said it is not possible to implement the new wages. He said that it is not certain how long the prohibitory orders will be enforced so the announcement of increasing wages has disappointed them during this difficult time. </span></span></span></span></p> <p><span style="font-size:12pt"><span style="font-family:Cambria"><span style="font-size:11.0pt"><span style="font-family:Arial">Binod Kumar Shrestha, president of the General Federation of Nepalese Trade Union (GEFONT) said the new increased salary must be implemented from mid-July. He stressed on the need to implement the provision rather than debating whether it is the right time to raise the wages. He added that the increased salary is still low considering the current rate of inflation. Employers have been receiving various tax waivers from the government due to the impact of COVID-19. </span></span></span></span></p> <p><span style="font-size:12pt"><span style="font-family:Cambria"><span style="font-size:11.0pt"><span style="font-family:Arial">Despite the COVID-19 pandemic, most of the industries are performing well so they can't deny to provide the increased salary. </span></span></span></span></p> <p><span style="font-size:12pt"><span style="font-family:Cambria"><span style="font-size:11.0pt"><span style="font-family:Arial">"Instead of every two years, salary has been raised in three years so it is not right to express dissatisfaction over the decision. It is not reasonable to say they will not be able to provide the salary on the pretext of COVID-19 pandemic,” said Shrestha.</span></span></span></span></p> <p><span style="font-size:12pt"><span style="font-family:Cambria"><span style="font-size:11.0pt"><span style="font-family:Arial">Amidst the COVID-19 pandemic, most of the industries are doing well while many of them like five-star hotels are struggling. Employees of those hotels are still working for a meager salary of Rs 3000 to Rs 5000 per month, said Shrestha. The raised salary of Rs 15,000 includes basic salary and inflation allowance.</span></span></span></span></p> <p><span style="font-size:12pt"><span style="font-family:Cambria"><span style="font-size:11.0pt"><span style="font-family:Arial">Meanwhile, the daily wage of a worker has been increased to Rs 577 while the hourly wage has been increased to Rs 77 from Rs 48.</span></span></span></span></p> <p> </p> ', 'published' => true, 'created' => '2021-05-06', 'modified' => '2021-05-06', 'keywords' => '', 'description' => '', 'sortorder' => '13097', 'image' => '20210506120318_minimum.jpg', 'article_date' => '2021-05-06 12:01:49', 'homepage' => false, 'breaking_news' => false, 'main_news' => true, 'in_scroller' => null, 'user_id' => '34' ) ), (int) 11 => array( 'Article' => array( 'id' => '13351', 'article_category_id' => '1', 'title' => 'Asia-Pacific Can Emerge From Pandemic Stronger Than Before: ADB President', 'sub_title' => '', 'summary' => 'May 5: The Asia and the Pacific region can emerge from the coronavirus disease (COVID-19) pandemic “even stronger than before” by focusing on five areas to help achieve a prosperous, inclusive, resilient, and sustainable future.', 'content' => '<p><span style="font-size:12pt"><span style="font-family:Cambria"><span style="font-family:Times">May 5: The Asia and the Pacific region can emerge from the coronavirus disease (COVID-19) pandemic “even stronger than before” by focusing on five areas to help achieve a prosperous, inclusive, resilient, and sustainable future, according to the President of the Asian Development Bank (ADB) President Masatsugu Asakawa.</span></span></span></p> <p><span style="font-size:12pt"><span style="font-family:Cambria"><span style="font-family:Times">In his remarks to the ADB Board of Governors at its 54<sup>th</sup> annual meeting on Wednesday, May 5, Asakawa said that he believes “the path we have laid out” will help lead our region out of these uncertain times.</span></span></span></p> <p><span style="font-size:12pt"><span style="font-family:Cambria"><span style="font-family:Times">“We will continue to deliver ADB’s unique synergy of finance, knowledge, and partnerships. And we will prioritize the quality of our assistance over quantity, meeting near-term needs with a clear vision for the future. If we stay on this course, I am confident the region will emerge from the current crisis even stronger than before,” he said.</span></span></span></p> <p><span style="font-size:12pt"><span style="font-family:Cambria"><span style="font-family:Times">According to a press statement issued by ADB, Asakawa outlined a five-point agenda for the region covering areas critical to achieving a lasting and equitable recovery for Asia and the Pacific:</span></span></span></p> <ul> <li><span style="font-size:12pt"><span style="font-family:Cambria"><span style="font-family:Times">Place ambitious climate actions at the center of development, with increased focus on adaptation and resilience, and with full commitment to the goals of the Paris Agreement.</span></span></span></li> <li><span style="font-size:12pt"><span style="font-family:Cambria"><span style="font-family:Times">Address inequality including the gender gap—which has worsened during the pandemic—by investing in health, education, and social protection.</span></span></span></li> <li><span style="font-size:12pt"><span style="font-family:Cambria"><span style="font-family:Times">Promote high-quality green and digital infrastructure, enabling economies to rebuild smartly while closing the digital gap and attracting substantial private investment.</span></span></span></li> <li><span style="font-size:12pt"><span style="font-family:Cambria"><span style="font-family:Times">Deepen regional cooperation and integration, so that ADB developing member countries can seize the opportunities of renewed globalization and strengthen regional health security.</span></span></span></li> <li><span style="font-size:12pt"><span style="font-family:Cambria"><span style="font-family:Times">And strengthen domestic resource mobilization, to ensure that governments have the resources they need to finance sustainable growth and respond effectively to future crises.</span></span></span></li> </ul> <p><span style="font-size:12pt"><span style="font-family:Cambria"><span style="font-family:Times">Action on these priorities can build on ADB’s response to COVID-19 in 2020. Its total commitments in 2020 reached a record high of $31.6 billion, with just over half supporting operations to respond to the pandemic, the statement added. The balance was committed to address long-term development issues such as the gender equality gap, the impacts of climate change, and investments in quality infrastructure. These achievements were supported by record-high co-financing of $16.4 billion and record-high capital market borrowings of over $35 billion.</span></span></span></p> <p><span style="font-size:12pt"><span style="font-family:Cambria"><span style="font-family:Times">“During the height of the pandemic, I reassured my staff that we will someday look back with pride at what we accomplished for the people of the region. I believe more than ever that this is true,” the statement quoted Asakawa as saying.</span></span></span></p> <p> </p> ', 'published' => true, 'created' => '2021-05-05', 'modified' => '2021-05-05', 'keywords' => '', 'description' => '', 'sortorder' => '13096', 'image' => '20210505093800_128216.jpeg', 'article_date' => '2021-05-05 21:37:11', 'homepage' => false, 'breaking_news' => false, 'main_news' => true, 'in_scroller' => false, 'user_id' => '34' ) ), (int) 12 => array( 'Article' => array( 'id' => '13350', 'article_category_id' => '1', 'title' => ' Fall Armyworms Attack Maize in 67 Districts', 'sub_title' => '', 'summary' => 'May 5: Maize planted in 67 districts across the country have been overwhelmed by fall armyworms. ', 'content' => '<p><span style="font-size:12pt"><span style="font-family:Cambria"><span style="font-size:14.0pt"><span style="font-family:Times">May 5: Maize planted in 67 districts across the country have been overwhelmed by fall armyworms. According to the Plant Quarantine and Pesticide Management Center, armyworms have attacked newly planted maize in all the districts of the Terai as well as some high hill districts. The pest especially damages crops like maize, wheat, and paddy. Last year, the pest had damaged crops in 63 districts.<br /> Sahadev Humagain, head of the Plant Quarantine and Pesticide Management Center, said that they have not been able to get the details of the extent of damage done to the maize crop planted in 67 districts. He informed that it was difficult to collect the details of the damage due to the lack of sufficient manpower.<br /> However, for the control and prevention of outbreak, the district-based agricultural knowledge centre and technicians from the local bodies have been trained and mobilized. It is also said that the centre is working to spread public awareness on armyworm outbreak control measures through various media.<br /> Entrepreneurs have said that the country has sufficient pesticides for pest control and prevention. However, transportation is a bit inconvenient due to the ongoing prohibition order. Currently, the demand for pesticides has surged in Dang, Banke, Bardiya, Rupandehi, Kapilvastu, Chitwan, Birgunj, Bara, Parsa, Rautahat, among other districts.<br /> Experts say that farmers and technicians have problems in controlling this insect even though they have received training about it. These insects are especially active between February to August. But in some Terai districts, these insects are active throughout the year, inform agronomists.<br /> Experts say that since this insect has adapted to Nepal's climate, it cannot be completely eradicated from the country. However, it can be controlled by being precautious and paying attention from the very beginning.<br /> According to Humagain, head of the centre, special attention should be given to healthy seeds, healthy soil, and balanced irrigation while planting crops to avoid pest infestation. He said that as the larvae of this insect would affect the crop more, it would be appropriate to kill the larvae using the recommended pesticides.</span></span></span></span></p> <p> </p> ', 'published' => true, 'created' => '2021-05-05', 'modified' => '2021-05-05', 'keywords' => '', 'description' => '', 'sortorder' => '13095', 'image' => '20210505033704_20181030022432_Makai.jpg', 'article_date' => '2021-05-05 15:36:08', 'homepage' => false, 'breaking_news' => false, 'main_news' => true, 'in_scroller' => false, 'user_id' => '34' ) ), (int) 13 => array( 'Article' => array( 'id' => '13349', 'article_category_id' => '1', 'title' => 'ADB Launches Tax Hub to Enhance Domestic Resource Mobilization and International Tax Cooperation', 'sub_title' => '', 'summary' => 'May 5: The Asian Development Bank (ADB) on Monday (May 3) launched the Asia Pacific Tax Hub.', 'content' => '<p><span style="font-size:12pt"><span style="font-family:Cambria"><span style="font-size:14.0pt"><span style="font-family:Times">May 5: </span></span><span style="font-size:14.0pt"><span style="font-family:Times">The Asian Development Bank (ADB) on Monday (May 3) launched the Asia Pacific Tax Hub to create an open and inclusive platform to promote strategic policy dialogue, improve knowledge sharing, and strengthen coordination on tax policy and administration among ADB, its members, and development partners.</span></span></span></span></p> <p><span style="font-size:12pt"><span style="font-family:Cambria"><span style="font-size:14.0pt"><span style="font-family:Times">ADB said in a statement that the hub will maximize regional and international resources to strengthen domestic resource mobilization (DRM) and international tax cooperation (ITC) in ADB’s developing member countries (DMCs).</span></span></span></span></p> <p><span style="font-size:12pt"><span style="font-family:Cambria"><span style="font-size:14.0pt"><span style="font-family:Times">“Domestic resource mobilization has emerged as a major strategic priority for our DMCs at this moment. It will be vital in the effort to address debt sustainability and to achieve the Sustainable Development Goals,” the statement quoted ADB President Masatsuga Asakawa as saying in a seminar at ADB’s 54<sup>th</sup> Annual Meeting.</span></span></span></span></p> <p><span style="font-size:12pt"><span style="font-family:Cambria"><span style="font-size:14.0pt"><span style="font-family:Times">“The lack of a pan-regional tax community has been a unique and significant shortcoming for Asia and the Pacific. To address this, I would like to announce today the official launch of the Asia Pacific Tax Hub,” he added. </span></span></span></span></p> <p><span style="font-size:12pt"><span style="font-family:Cambria"><span style="font-size:14.0pt"><span style="font-family:Times">According to ADB, the hub will support DMCs on three main building blocks – preparation of medium-term revenue strategies (MTRS); roadmaps for the automation of tax administration, and proactive participation in international tax initiatives.</span></span></span></span></p> <p><span style="font-size:12pt"><span style="font-family:Cambria"><span style="font-size:14.0pt"><span style="font-family:Times">The hub aims to play a key role by stimulating regional dialogue and knowledge sharing on needed reforms. Through the hub, ADB will </span></span><span style="font-size:14.0pt"><span style="font-family:Times">coordinate closely with the International Monetary Fund (IMF) to support DMCs as they formulate country-specific MTRS, with activities such as regional workshops in collaboration with the Platform for Collaboration on Tax and diagnostic tools like the Tax Administration Diagnostic Assessment Tool. </span></span></span></span></p> <p><span style="font-size:12pt"><span style="font-family:Cambria"><span style="font-size:14.0pt"><span style="font-family:Times">It will also</span></span> <span style="font-size:14.0pt"><span style="font-family:Times">conduct needs assessments to prepare roadmaps for the automation of tax administrations in DMCs, and support their implementation in collaboration with development partners and leading countries in this area.</span></span></span></span></p> <p><span style="font-size:12pt"><span style="font-family:Cambria"><span style="font-size:14.0pt"><span style="font-family:Times">ADB said it is establishing a secretariat to operationalize the hub and plans to organize a Steering Committee to bring together key development partners and DMCs willing to actively engage in the hub. It will work closely together with the hub secretariat to lead the operation of the hub. </span></span></span></span></p> <p><span style="font-size:12pt"><span style="font-family:Cambria"><span style="font-size:14.0pt"><span style="font-family:Times">The hub will organize a first High-Level Conference by the fourth quarter of 2021 to report on progress and discuss next steps on the three building blocks of the hub, including details of the operations of the hub secretariat and Steering Committee.</span></span></span></span></p> <p> </p> ', 'published' => true, 'created' => '2021-05-05', 'modified' => '2021-05-05', 'keywords' => '', 'description' => '', 'sortorder' => '13094', 'image' => '20210505032710_20200430022205_asian-development-bank-ru.jpg', 'article_date' => '2021-05-05 15:26:22', 'homepage' => false, 'breaking_news' => false, 'main_news' => true, 'in_scroller' => null, 'user_id' => '34' ) ), (int) 14 => array( 'Article' => array( 'id' => '13348', 'article_category_id' => '1', 'title' => 'Authorities Extend Prohibitory Order in Kathmandu Valley by a Week', 'sub_title' => '', 'summary' => 'May 5: The district administration offices in the Kathmandu valley have decided to extend the ongoing prohibitory order by one more week.', 'content' => '<p><span style="font-size:10pt"><span style="font-family:Times"><span style="font-size:14.0pt">May 5: The district administration offices in the Kathmandu valley have decided to extend the ongoing prohibitory order by one more week.</span></span></span></p> <p><span style="font-size:10pt"><span style="font-family:Times"><span style="font-size:14.0pt">A meeting of the chief district officers of Kathmandu, Lalitpur and Bhaktapur on Tuesday (May 4) took a decision to this effect. The DAOs extended the prohibitory orders in line with the recent cabinet decision allowing the districts chiefs to issue prohibitory orders for at least 15 days.</span></span></span></p> <p><span style="font-size:10pt"><span style="font-family:Times"><span style="font-size:14.0pt">The prohibitory order will be in force till May 12 now.</span></span></span></p> <p><span style="font-size:10pt"><span style="font-family:Times"><span style="font-size:14.0pt">The authorities have also decided to further tighten the restrictions during this period. </span></span></span></p> <p><span style="font-size:10pt"><span style="font-family:Times"><span style="font-size:14.0pt">According to the Chief District Officer of Kathmandu, Kali Prasad Parajuli, government authorities have decided to change the modality of prohibitory order to curb the disease. </span></span></span></p> <p><span style="font-size:10pt"><span style="font-family:Times"><span style="font-size:14.0pt">The district authorities have decided to bar movement of people except in case of emergency. </span></span></span></p> <p><span style="font-size:10pt"><span style="font-family:Times"><span style="font-size:14.0pt">“We will take action against anyone found moving around without any emergency,” said CDO Parajuli.</span></span></span></p> <p><span style="font-size:10pt"><span style="font-family:Times"><span style="font-size:14.0pt">Shops selling essential supplies will be allowed to operate from 7-9 am instead of 7-10 am and 5 pm to 7 pm.</span></span></span></p> <p><span style="font-size:10pt"><span style="font-family:Times"><span style="font-size:14.0pt">All permits issued for vehicles will be invalid from now.</span></span></span></p> <p><span style="font-size:10pt"><span style="font-family:Times"><span style="font-size:14.0pt">However, vehicles carrying essential goods and those supplying food will be allowed to operate during the prohibitory order. The prohibitory order does not apply to ambulances.</span></span></span></p> <p><span style="font-size:10pt"><span style="font-family:Times"><span style="font-size:14.0pt">Meanwhile, Banks and Financial Institutions will be allowed to operate at a 25 per cent capacity.</span></span></span></p> <p><span style="font-size:10pt"><span style="font-family:Times"><span style="font-size:14.0pt">The three districts in the valley imposed prohibitory order on April 29 following a rise in number of Covid-19 cases. The government has authorised Chief District Officers to impose such orders.</span></span></span></p> ', 'published' => true, 'created' => '2021-05-05', 'modified' => '2021-05-05', 'keywords' => '', 'description' => '', 'sortorder' => '13093', 'image' => '20210505125006_1620171246.Clipboard09.jpg', 'article_date' => '2021-05-05 12:49:21', 'homepage' => false, 'breaking_news' => false, 'main_news' => true, 'in_scroller' => null, 'user_id' => '34' ) ) ) $current_user = null $logged_in = false $xml = falseinclude - APP/View/Elements/side_bar.ctp, line 133 View::_evaluate() - CORE/Cake/View/View.php, line 971 View::_render() - CORE/Cake/View/View.php, line 933 View::_renderElement() - CORE/Cake/View/View.php, line 1224 View::element() - CORE/Cake/View/View.php, line 418 include - APP/View/Articles/index.ctp, line 157 View::_evaluate() - CORE/Cake/View/View.php, line 971 View::_render() - CORE/Cake/View/View.php, line 933 View::render() - CORE/Cake/View/View.php, line 473 Controller::render() - CORE/Cake/Controller/Controller.php, line 968 Dispatcher::_invoke() - CORE/Cake/Routing/Dispatcher.php, line 200 Dispatcher::dispatch() - CORE/Cake/Routing/Dispatcher.php, line 167 [main] - APP/webroot/index.php, line 117
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Social media was abuzz the whole day with criticism of PM Oli for his remark as the crisis was deepening across the country. Critics said that the prime minister lost an opportunity to seek international support by giving a false statement. They were of the view that Oli should have given the real picture and that could have helped the government receive foreign assistance to fight the pandemic.</span></span></span></span></p> <p><span style="font-size:10pt"><span style="font-family:Times"><span style="font-size:14.0pt"><span style="font-family:"Arial Unicode MS"">During the interview, PM Oli said that the first wave of coronavirus had come under control but there was an outbreak of second wave due to the negligence of the public.</span></span></span></span></p> <p><span style="font-size:10pt"><span style="font-family:Times"><span style="font-size:14.0pt"><span style="font-family:"Arial Unicode MS"">“We had brought the infection under control last year. The death toll had dropped to zero. New infection was below 50 per day. But the general people thought that the pandemic had ended and were negligent. That caused the second wave of coronavirus,” PM Oli told CNN.</span></span></span></span></p> <p><span style="font-size:10pt"><span style="font-family:Times"><span style="font-size:14.0pt"><span style="font-family:"Arial Unicode MS"">“We have mobilized all our mechanisms to bring the situation under control,” he added.</span></span></span></span></p> <p><span style="font-size:10pt"><span style="font-family:Times"><span style="font-size:14.0pt"><span style="font-family:"Arial Unicode MS"">The prime minister further said that the government has been busy in creating awareness among the people to save lives. Although the prime minister maintained that the situation was under control, the health ministry had recently said that the rate of infection is rising at an alarming rate and that the health facilities of the country were not able to cope with the situation.</span></span></span></span></p> <p><span style="font-size:10pt"><span style="font-family:Times"><span style="font-size:14.0pt"><span style="font-family:"Arial Unicode MS"">According to the data provided by the ministry, a total of 53 people died due to the disease across the country on Saturday alone. Daily infection has climbed above 8,000 while the number of active cases is almost 100,000.</span></span></span></span></p> <p> </p> ', 'published' => true, 'created' => '2021-05-09', 'modified' => '2021-05-09', 'keywords' => '', 'description' => '', 'sortorder' => '13108', 'image' => '20210509121210_1620516771.Clipboard12.jpg', 'article_date' => '2021-05-09 12:11:20', 'homepage' => false, 'breaking_news' => false, 'main_news' => true, 'in_scroller' => null, 'user_id' => '34' ) ), (int) 1 => array( 'Article' => array( 'id' => '13362', 'article_category_id' => '1', 'title' => 'No Infection at Everest Base Camp: Tourism Ministry', 'sub_title' => '', 'summary' => 'May 9: The Ministry of Culture, Tourism and Civil Aviation has clarified there is no health safety risks at Everest Base Camp. ', 'content' => '<p><span style="font-size:11pt"><span style="font-family:Cambria"><span style="font-size:14.0pt"><span style="font-family:"Arial Unicode MS"">May 9: The Ministry of Culture, Tourism and Civil Aviation has clarified there is no health safety risks at Everest Base Camp. </span></span></span></span></p> <p><span style="font-size:11pt"><span style="font-family:Cambria"><strong><span style="font-size:14.0pt"><span style="font-family:"Arial Unicode MS"">T</span></span></strong><span style="font-size:14.0pt"><span style="font-family:"Arial Unicode MS"">he ministry said in a statement that its attention has been drawn towards the recent news reports that some members of the Everest expedition teams for the spring season had tested positive for Covid-19, raising fears of a serious outbreak. </span></span><br /> <span style="font-size:14.0pt"><span style="font-family:"Arial Unicode MS"">“There is no such risk at Everest Base Camp as claimed by some media,’’ the state-owned national news agency RSS reported citing the ministry.</span></span></span></span></p> <p><span style="font-size:11pt"><span style="font-family:Cambria"><span style="font-size:14.0pt"><span style="font-family:"Arial Unicode MS"">Some domestic and international media recently published reports claiming that the virus had spread at the base camp and climbers faced great risk of infection. </span></span><br /> <span style="font-size:14.0pt"><span style="font-family:"Arial Unicode MS"">According to the ministry, 774 people of 86 expedition teams from 79 countries have acquired permission for climbing Everest this season and they all have followed the health safety protocols to the possible extent.</span></span></span></span></p> <p><span style="font-size:11pt"><span style="font-family:Cambria"><span style="font-size:14.0pt"><span style="font-family:"Arial Unicode MS"">Spokesperson of the ministry, Taranath Adhikari, said that a liaison officer has been mobilized to oversee activities of each expedition team and report any important incident and information relating to the pandemic. </span></span></span></span></p> <p><span style="font-size:11pt"><span style="font-family:Cambria"><span style="font-size:14.0pt"><span style="font-family:"Arial Unicode MS"">“Based on the available information, we can say there is no such infection risk at Everest Base Camp as reported in media,” he said. </span></span><br /> <span style="font-size:14.0pt"><span style="font-family:"Arial Unicode MS"">The ministry has urged one and all not to entertain and disseminate unreliable and unverified information, creating fears among members of the expedition teams and their families and to follow information provided by official sources. </span></span><br /> <span style="font-size:14.0pt"><span style="font-family:"Arial Unicode MS"">A Covid-19 crisis facilitation and coordination unit has been formed under the coordination of joint-secretary Buddisagar Lamichhane to make arrangements for the rescue of any climber and trekker in adverse situation and escort her/him to the destination safely. </span></span><br /> <span style="font-size:14.0pt"><span style="font-family:"Arial Unicode MS"">The climbing for this season has officially kicked off with Kami Rita Sherpa successfully reaching the top of Everest at 18:00 pm on Friday (May 7) as a leader of rope fixing team, along with 11 other Sherpas (icefall doctors). This is a record 25th ascent of Everest by Kami Rita Sherpa. </span></span></span></span></p> ', 'published' => true, 'created' => '2021-05-09', 'modified' => '2021-05-09', 'keywords' => '', 'description' => '', 'sortorder' => '13107', 'image' => '20210509114233_20210219104343_20201108030120_Contribution of Mountains to the Tourism Economy_1.jpg', 'article_date' => '2021-05-09 11:41:47', 'homepage' => false, 'breaking_news' => false, 'main_news' => true, 'in_scroller' => null, 'user_id' => '34' ) ), (int) 2 => array( 'Article' => array( 'id' => '13360', 'article_category_id' => '1', 'title' => 'Govt conducting study on impacts of Covid-19 on foreign employment', 'sub_title' => '', 'summary' => 'The Department of Foreign Employment (DoFE) has started a study into the impact of the second wave of Covid-19 on foreign employment. ', 'content' => '<p>May 8: The Department of Foreign Employment (DoFE) has started a study into the impact of the second wave of Covid-19 on foreign employment. </p> <p>Krishna Prasad Dawadi, Director General of the DoFE, said that the department is carrying out a study on the impact of Covid-19 on foreign employment sector in collaboration with the Ministry of Foreign Affairs (MoFA) and associations of recruiting firms.</p> <p>The department has requested the MoFA and associations of manpower companies to collect data of workers affected by the Covid-19 as well as other details on the impact of the pandemic on foreign employment from the respective embassies of the labor destination countries, according to Dawadi. </p> <p>He said that they have sought details on the Covid-19 situation in the destination countries, impact of pandemic on Nepali workers working abroad and their current condition. </p> <p>Following the outbreak of the second wave of Covid-19, the number of Nepali workers going for foreign employment has been falling in line with a decline in the demand for workers from labor receiving countries. <br /> “Since the international flights were suspended from May 6, the number of migrant workers leaving for foreign employment on Wednesday and Thursday was the highest if compared to the average number of workers leaving the country in recent months. However, the number of Nepali workers going abroad was already on a declining trend," said Dawadi.</p> <p>“We cannot say for sure that the second wave of the Covid-19 is the cause for the decline. So, we have decided to conduct the study,” he said. </p> <p>According to Dawadi, the study would help the government to understand how Nepali workers are impacted by the Covid-19 while working abroad as well as come up with relief and other necessary support to them. </p> <p>Foreign employment was severely affected by the first wave of Covid-19 and subsequent containment measures including the lockdown imposed in Nepal and destination countries. Thousands of Nepali workers were unable to go for foreign employment while many people returned home after losing their jobs abroad. <br /> The demand for workers was gradually increasing after the effects of Covid-19 started to subside. However, the unfolding Covid-19 crisis is once again hitting the foreign employment sector. <br /> Though international flights have been suspended, the department has not stopped distribution of work permits. The DoFE has started online services to issue work permits to Nepali workers to go for foreign employment. According to Dawadi, the DoFE has not stopped issuing work permits to avoid a backlog of applications for work permits and ensure that the department is not crowded with workers after the ongoing prohibitory period ends. <br /> </p> ', 'published' => true, 'created' => '2021-05-08', 'modified' => '2021-05-08', 'keywords' => '', 'description' => '', 'sortorder' => '13105', 'image' => '20210508021733_Foreign Employment.jpg', 'article_date' => '2021-05-08 14:45:41', 'homepage' => true, 'breaking_news' => false, 'main_news' => true, 'in_scroller' => true, 'user_id' => '35' ) ), (int) 3 => array( 'Article' => array( 'id' => '13359', 'article_category_id' => '1', 'title' => 'NTB Sets up Crisis Management and Communication Cell to Rescue Tourists', 'sub_title' => '', 'summary' => 'May 7: Nepal Tourism Board (NTB) has set up a Crisis Management and Communication Cell (CMCC) for coordination and rescue of tourists stranded in different parts of the country following the prohibition order imposed by the government.', 'content' => '<p><span style="font-size:12pt"><span style="font-family:Cambria">May 7: Nepal Tourism Board (NTB) has set up a Crisis Management and Communication Cell (CMCC) for coordination and rescue of tourists stranded in different parts of the country following the prohibition order imposed by the government.<br /> The CMCC will facilitate in rescue and coordination of tourists and also monitor and manage hotel quarantine for passengers coming to Nepal from India under the Nepal-India air bubble agreement.<br /> Accordingly, CMCC has rescued 11 foreigners from Langtang, 4 Ukrainians from Pokhara, and 2 Americans from Lukla and brought them to Kathmandu. Similarly, as per the decision of the Ministry of Culture, Tourism and Civil Aviation dated April 21, the tourism board has prepared hotel quarantine criteria for air passengers and facilitated them by liaising and coordinating with the hotels listed by the Ministry.<br /> The board has set up hotlines and emails (Hotline: 9851252666, Email:<br /> <a href="mailto:crisiscell@ntb.org.np" style="color:blue; text-decoration:underline">crisiscell@ntb.org.np</a>, website:-<a href="http://www.welcomenepal.com/plan-your-trip/covid-19" style="color:blue; text-decoration:underline">www.welcomenepal.com/plan-your-trip/covid-19</a>) to ensure that no tourist is stranded due to lack of necessary information during the pandemic.</span></span><br /> <br /> </p> ', 'published' => true, 'created' => '2021-05-07', 'modified' => '2021-05-07', 'keywords' => '', 'description' => '', 'sortorder' => '13104', 'image' => '20210507054326_202009.jpg', 'article_date' => '2021-05-07 17:42:36', 'homepage' => false, 'breaking_news' => false, 'main_news' => true, 'in_scroller' => null, 'user_id' => '34' ) ), (int) 4 => array( 'Article' => array( 'id' => '13358', 'article_category_id' => '1', 'title' => 'Government Likely to Announce Agriculture Budget of 36.23 Billion', 'sub_title' => '', 'summary' => 'May 7: The government is preparing to announce a budget of Rs 36.23 billion for the agriculture sector in the coming fiscal year (FY 2021/21).', 'content' => '<p><span style="font-size:12pt"><span style="font-family:Cambria"><span style="font-size:14.0pt"><span style="font-family:Times">May 7: The government is preparing to announce a budget of Rs 36.23 billion for the agriculture sector in the coming fiscal year (FY 2021/21). The proposed budget is less than the budget allocated in the current fiscal year by Rs 5 billion.<br /> Last year, the government had allocated a budget of Rs 41.40 billion for the agriculture sector. Based on the ceiling set by the Ministry of Finance, the Ministry of Agriculture and Livestock Development is currently drafting the budget for the agriculture sector.<br /> During a virtual programme on 'Coronavirus Pandemic and Agriculture Budget' organized by the Association of Agricultural Journalists (ANAJ) on Thursday, May 6, Joint Secretary of the Ministry of Agriculture and Livestock Development and Head of the Planning Branch Dr Hari Bahadur KC said that the ministry is preparing a budget of Rs 36.23 billion for the agriculture sector in the coming fiscal year.<br /> Out of the total budget for the agriculture sector, about 25 percent of the budget will be allocated for chemical fertilizers. KC said that a large amount of money had to be allocated for chemical fertilizer which is a major need for agricultural production.<br /> Likewise, Rs 3.21 billion will be spent on the Prime Minister's Agriculture Modernization Project, and more than Rs 3 billion on the Nepal Agricultural Research Institute (NARC).<br /> Similarly, Rs 3 billion has also been allocated for the Department of Agriculture and the Department of Animal Husbandry. A total of Rs 14 billion has been allocated under the subsidy heading, of which Rs 15 million will be allocated for various types of agricultural insurance and Rs 1 billion for sugarcane farmers. Likewise, Rs 8 billion has been allocated for the local and state governments, while Rs 1.60 billion will be allocated for financial budget management.<br /> The budget also emphasizes formulating the organic manure mission programme, digital soil mapping, and increasing the scope of soil testing. Likewise, the government plans to set up as many as 100 fruit nurseries, make fisheries self-reliant, and increase milk production and improve its distribution and storage systems. For that, plans have been made to build a powdered milk factory in Kohalpur and milk storage facilities in Biratnagar and Bhairahawa.</span></span></span></span></p> <p> </p> <p> </p> ', 'published' => true, 'created' => '2021-05-07', 'modified' => '2021-05-07', 'keywords' => '', 'description' => '', 'sortorder' => '13103', 'image' => '20210507033217_1620343279.2.jpg', 'article_date' => '2021-05-07 15:31:44', 'homepage' => false, 'breaking_news' => false, 'main_news' => true, 'in_scroller' => null, 'user_id' => '34' ) ), (int) 5 => array( 'Article' => array( 'id' => '13357', 'article_category_id' => '1', 'title' => 'Private Sector ‘Surprised’ by Government’s Decision to Increase Minimum Wage of Workers ', 'sub_title' => '', 'summary' => 'May 7: Stakeholders of the private sector have said their serious attention has been drawn towards the government’s decision to raise the minimum wage of workers.', 'content' => '<p><span style="font-size:11pt"><span style="font-family:Cambria"><span style="font-size:14.0pt"><span style="font-family:"Arial Unicode MS"">May 7: Stakeholders of the private sector have said their serious attention has been drawn towards the government’s decision to raise the minimum wage of workers.</span></span></span></span></p> <p><span style="font-size:11pt"><span style="font-family:Cambria"><span style="font-size:14.0pt"><span style="font-family:"Arial Unicode MS"">The Federation of Nepali Chamber of Commerce and Industries (FNCCI), Confederation of Nepalese Industries (CNI) and Nepal Chamber of Commerce (NCC) have said that the minimum wage fixed by the government of workers would be difficult to implement owing to the current crisis of Covid-19. </span></span><br /> <span style="font-size:14.0pt"><span style="font-family:"Arial Unicode MS"">Issuing a joint press statement here today, the umbrella bodies of entrepreneurs in the country have urged the government not to interfere in the process of determining wages for the labourers. </span></span></span></span></p> <p><span style="font-size:11pt"><span style="font-family:Cambria"><span style="font-size:14.0pt"><span style="font-family:"Arial Unicode MS"">In a notice published on the Nepal Gazette on May 3, the government had raised the minimum wage of workers effective from the upcoming fiscal year. As per the decision, employers have to pay a labourer a minimum wage of Rs 15,000 per month from the next fiscal year. </span></span><br /> <span style="font-size:14.0pt"><span style="font-family:"Arial Unicode MS"">The organizations have said that the partial and full prohibitory order enforced in 56 districts in the country to contain the second wave of Covid-19 had affected over 700,000 enterprises. They were of the view that the private sector enterprises might not be able to pay regular wages in such a situation.</span></span></span></span></p> <p><span style="font-size:11pt"><span style="font-family:Cambria"><span style="font-size:14.0pt"><span style="font-family:"Arial Unicode MS"">The statement added that the private sector has been struggling to meet the daily expenses as the prohibitory orders have been extended by the government. In such a situation, they expressed surprise at the government’s decision to increase the minimum wage of workers. </span></span><br /> <span style="font-size:14.0pt"><span style="font-family:"Arial Unicode MS"">At a time when the small and medium scale enterprises have been hardest hit due to the health crisis, the organizations, through the press statement, have appealed to the government not to interfere in the determination of the minimum wages of the workers. They said that they will decide the matter on the basis of mutual understanding. </span></span></span></span><br /> </p> <p> </p> ', 'published' => true, 'created' => '2021-05-07', 'modified' => '2021-05-07', 'keywords' => '', 'description' => '', 'sortorder' => '13102', 'image' => '20210507123102_1620290616.jpg', 'article_date' => '2021-05-07 12:30:11', 'homepage' => false, 'breaking_news' => false, 'main_news' => true, 'in_scroller' => null, 'user_id' => '34' ) ), (int) 6 => array( 'Article' => array( 'id' => '13356', 'article_category_id' => '1', 'title' => 'Leaders and Experts Share Mixed Views on MCC ', 'sub_title' => '', 'summary' => 'May 7: Political leaders and experts have called for clarity on policies regarding foreign assistance adding that national sovereignty and national interests were above all other considerations, according to the state-owned national news agency RSS. ', 'content' => '<p><span style="font-size:11pt"><span style="font-family:Cambria"><span style="font-family:"Arial Unicode MS"">May 7: Political leaders and experts have called for clarity on policies regarding foreign assistance adding that national sovereignty and national interests were above all other considerations, according to the state-owned national news agency RSS. </span><br /> <span style="font-family:"Arial Unicode MS"">Speaking at a recent programme, the politicians expressed diverse views over the Millennium Challenge Corporation (MCC) and ratification of the MCC Compact from the parliament. </span><br /> <span style="font-family:"Arial Unicode MS"">During the virtual programme organized by Friends of Silk Road and Nepal China Friendship Forum on Thursday, former Deputy Prime Minister and Defense Minister Bhim Rawal took exception to some of the points of MCC agreement. </span><br /> <span style="font-family:"Arial Unicode MS"">Rawal reiterated that the some issues of MCC should be amended otherwise the parliament should not ratify it, RSS reported. </span><br /> <span style="font-family:"Arial Unicode MS"">However, former Foreign Affairs Minister and Nepali Congress leader Dr Prakash Sharan Mahat praised the MCC Compact stating that the MCC Board is chaired by Secretary of the Finance Ministry to facilitate the timely completion of projects and it is in Nepal’s national interest. </span><br /> <span style="font-family:"Arial Unicode MS"">Dr Mahat was of the view that the grant received under the MCC would be mobilized as per Nepal’s laws. According to RSS, Mahat added that the MCC in Nepal was brought into controversy due to misleading information and propaganda. </span><br /> <span style="font-family:"Arial Unicode MS"">Likewise, Gyanendra Lal Pradhan of the Confederation of Nepalese Industries backed the MCC stating that it is more focused on development of infrastructures and it has nothing to do with politics. He argued that power grid is important in Nepal and added that electricity price will go up in Nepal if the transmission lines were not completed.</span></span></span></p> <p><span style="font-size:11pt"><span style="font-family:Cambria"><span style="font-family:"Arial Unicode MS"">President of Friend of Silk Road Dr Kalyan Raj Sharma said that the programme was organised to inform the people and welcome healthy discussions of stakeholders and experts. </span></span></span></p> ', 'published' => true, 'created' => '2021-05-07', 'modified' => '2021-05-07', 'keywords' => '', 'description' => '', 'sortorder' => '13101', 'image' => '20210507114916_20200914112314_1600032154.2.jpg', 'article_date' => '2021-05-07 11:48:43', 'homepage' => false, 'breaking_news' => false, 'main_news' => true, 'in_scroller' => null, 'user_id' => '34' ) ), (int) 7 => array( 'Article' => array( 'id' => '13355', 'article_category_id' => '1', 'title' => 'Financial Picture Challenging due to Covid-19, says Finance Minister ', 'sub_title' => '', 'summary' => 'May 6: Minister for Finance Bishnu Prasad Poudel has admitted that the second wave of coronavirus has posed a serious threat to the financial future of the country. ', 'content' => '<p><span style="font-size:16px"><span style="font-family:Cambria"><span style="font-family:"Arial Unicode MS"">May 6: Minister for Finance Bishnu Prasad Poudel has admitted that the second wave of coronavirus has posed a serious threat to the financial future of the country. </span><br /> <span style="font-family:"Arial Unicode MS"">Addressing an informal meeting of the SAARC Finance Ministers virtually on Wednesday (May 5), Minister Poudel said, “We have faced obstacle to achieve financial growth due to the multifaceted effects of Covid-19 in inclusive and sustainable development.” </span><br /> <span style="font-family:"Arial Unicode MS"">In the virtual meeting held on the sidelines of the 54th Annual Meeting of the Asian Development Bank (ADB), Poudel reiterated that although utmost efforts were made to bring the situation under control by uplifting the economy, the current circumstances have painted a grim picture of Nepal's economy. </span><br /> <span style="font-family:"Arial Unicode MS"">Stating that the outbreak of second wave of Covid-19 had caused a huge setback to the economy of Nepal, Minister Poudel said that the tourism sector and other service sectors were most affected by the pandemic. </span><br /> <span style="font-family:"Arial Unicode MS"">The adverse effects of Covid-19 has been reflected in the cut down in jobs, lay-offs of the employees, loss in business among others, argued the Minister. He added that Covid-19 had posed challenges for efforts aimed at promoting inclusiveness, human development and alleviating poverty. </span><br /> <span style="font-family:"Arial Unicode MS"">The Minister also expressed his view that it was imperative to ensure that all the countries had access to procure the vaccines against coronavirus. On the occasion, he extended gratefulness towards the government of India for providing vaccines against Covid-19 and said that it had enabled launching of vaccination drive in the SAARC region. </span><br /> <span style="font-family:"Arial Unicode MS"">He pressed for formulating policies and strategies by all the SAARC-member nations to cushion the effects of Covid-19 on the SAARC region’s economy and to promote local production in the developing nations of the region. </span><br /> <span style="font-family:"Arial Unicode MS"">During the meeting, Minister Poudel extended his thankfulness to the ADB for its financial and technical support to Nepal in its covid-19 response and efforts to promote economic activities. </span><br /> <span style="font-family:"Arial Unicode MS"">The finance ministers of SAARC and delegates had univocally underscored the need for mutual cooperation for socio-economic recovery to cushion the effect of Covid-19 on the economy of SAARC region. -- RSS</span></span></span></p> ', 'published' => true, 'created' => '2021-05-06', 'modified' => '2021-05-06', 'keywords' => '', 'description' => '', 'sortorder' => '13100', 'image' => '20210506032215_20210110034934_1610265858.jpg', 'article_date' => '2021-05-06 15:20:47', 'homepage' => false, 'breaking_news' => false, 'main_news' => true, 'in_scroller' => null, 'user_id' => '34' ) ), (int) 8 => array( 'Article' => array( 'id' => '13354', 'article_category_id' => '1', 'title' => 'Supply Chain of Construction Materials Affected: FCAN', 'sub_title' => '', 'summary' => 'May 6: The Federation of Contractors’ Associations of Nepal (FCAN) has reportedly stated that the construction entrepreneurs and stakeholders are facing difficulties to carry out construction works due to the ongoing prohibitory order issued in the capital and other districts. ', 'content' => '<p><span style="font-size:11pt"><span style="font-family:Cambria"><span style="font-family:"Arial Unicode MS"">May 6: The Federation of Contractors’ Associations of Nepal (FCAN) has reportedly stated that the construction entrepreneurs and stakeholders are facing difficulties to carry out construction works due to the ongoing prohibitory order issued in the capital and other districts. </span><br /> <span style="font-family:"Arial Unicode MS"">The FCAN said in a statement that the movement of vehicles supplying construction materials have been obstructed in different places, and are not given an easy access by security forces. </span></span></span></p> <p><span style="font-size:11pt"><span style="font-family:Cambria"><span style="font-family:"Arial Unicode MS"">Although factories are producing construction materials, the supply chain and availability of the produced goods have been badly affected as dealers and distributors have not been allowed to operate their business, FCAN noted. </span><br /> <span style="font-family:"Arial Unicode MS"">The statement further says that FCAN’s attention was drawn seriously to the unusual price hike of construction materials during the time of prohibitory order. </span><br /> <span style="font-family:"Arial Unicode MS"">The statement issued by general secretary of FCAN Roshan Dahal also added that construction work is likely to be affected in densely-populated areas and some other construction sites. </span></span></span><br /> </p> ', 'published' => true, 'created' => '2021-05-06', 'modified' => '2021-05-06', 'keywords' => '', 'description' => '', 'sortorder' => '13099', 'image' => '20210506031251_20200415125719_1586906108.jpg', 'article_date' => '2021-05-06 15:12:14', 'homepage' => false, 'breaking_news' => false, 'main_news' => true, 'in_scroller' => null, 'user_id' => '34' ) ), (int) 9 => array( 'Article' => array( 'id' => '13353', 'article_category_id' => '1', 'title' => 'Government Prepares Draft of Policies and Programmes ', 'sub_title' => '', 'summary' => 'May 6: The Office of the Prime Minister and Council of Ministers has prepared the draft of the policies and programmes for the upcoming fiscal year (FY 2021/22).', 'content' => '<p><span style="font-size:12pt"><span style="font-family:Cambria"><span style="font-size:11.0pt"><span style="font-family:Arial">May 6: The Office of the Prime Minister and Council of Ministers has prepared the draft of the policies and programmes for the upcoming fiscal year (FY 2021/22).</span></span></span></span></p> <p><span style="font-size:12pt"><span style="font-family:Cambria"><span style="font-size:11.0pt"><span style="font-family:Arial">Government officials confirmed that the draft of the policies and programmes has been prepared and will be presented at a joint session of the House of Representatives and National Assembly by President Bidhya Devi Bhandari on behalf of the government. As per the constitutional provision, the fiscal budget should be presented on the 15th day in the month of Jestha (May 29). The policies and programmes should be presented before the budget. However, the budget session has already been delayed this time.</span></span></span></span></p> <p><span style="font-size:12pt"><span style="font-family:Cambria"> <span style="font-size:11.0pt"><span style="font-family:Arial">Spokesperson of the Parliament Secretariat, Rojnath Pandey, said that all preparations for the budget session has been made but it is not certain when the policies and programmes will be tabled in the parliament as the budget session has not been called yet. A special session of parliament has been called for May 10 to seek vote of confidence by Prime Minister KP Oli.</span></span></span></span></p> <p><span style="font-size:12pt"><span style="font-family:Cambria"><span style="font-size:11.0pt"><span style="font-family:Arial">According to a senior official involved in preparing the draft of the policies and programmes, the government has given priority to the construction of state-of-the-art hospitals at every local level. Similarly, relief packages will be introduced for the industries affected by COVID-19 pandemic and programmes will be included to expedite the development process.</span></span></span></span></p> <p><span style="font-size:12pt"><span style="font-family:Cambria"><span style="font-size:11.0pt"><span style="font-family:Arial">The policies and programmes will also focus on increasing economic activities, invest in the productive sector, prioritize internal resource mobilization and reduce unnecessary expenses in light of the COVID-19 crisis.</span></span></span></span></p> <p><span style="font-size:12pt"><span style="font-family:Cambria"><span style="font-size:11.0pt"><span style="font-family:Arial">According to the official, the policies and programmes have prioritized commercial farming, industrial development and increasing productivity, completion of national pride projects within the deadline.</span></span></span></span></p> <p><span style="font-size:12pt"><span style="font-family:Cambria"><span style="font-size:11.0pt"><span style="font-family:Arial">The government is set to announce an increase in old-age allowance so that elderly people can look after themselves and implement the new minimum salary strictly from mid-July. The government is also preparing to introduce incentives for innovation, special discounts for export-oriented industries, special emphasis on the Digital Nepal campaign, and additional employment generation programmes through the Prime Minister's Employment Programme.</span></span></span></span></p> <p><span style="font-size:12pt"><span style="font-family:Cambria"><span style="font-size:11.0pt"><span style="font-family:Arial">In the mid-February, Chief Secretary Shankar Das Bairagi had instructed the secretaries to prepare policies and programs that are worthy of implementation. He had also instructed them to formulate policies and programs by holding necessary discussions to avoid duplication with the local level programmes.</span></span></span></span></p> <p> </p> ', 'published' => true, 'created' => '2021-05-06', 'modified' => '2021-05-06', 'keywords' => '', 'description' => '', 'sortorder' => '13098', 'image' => '20210506025841_20210409035508_20200409120151_1586383527.jpg', 'article_date' => '2021-05-06 14:51:58', 'homepage' => false, 'breaking_news' => false, 'main_news' => true, 'in_scroller' => null, 'user_id' => '34' ) ), (int) 10 => array( 'Article' => array( 'id' => '13352', 'article_category_id' => '1', 'title' => 'Employers Unhappy Over Government’s Decision to Raise Minimum Wage', 'sub_title' => '', 'summary' => 'May 6: Private sector employers have expressed dissatisfaction over the government's decision to raise the minimum salary of workers to be implemented from the start of the upcoming fiscal year.', 'content' => '<p><span style="font-size:12pt"><span style="font-family:Cambria"><span style="font-size:11.0pt"><span style="font-family:Arial">May 6: Private sector employers have expressed dissatisfaction over the government's decision to raise the minimum salary of workers to be implemented from the start of the upcoming fiscal year.</span></span></span></span></p> <p><span style="font-size:12pt"><span style="font-family:Cambria"><span style="font-size:11.0pt"><span style="font-family:Arial">Employers are dissatisfied that the government has taken a unilateral decision amidst this crisis when employers are concerned about sustaining business and providing salary to the current employees.</span></span></span></span></p> <p><span style="font-size:12pt"><span style="font-family:Cambria"><span style="font-size:11.0pt"><span style="font-family:Arial">The Ministry of Labour, Employment and Social Security had issued a notice on Nepal Gazette on May 4, fixing the minimum wage. Since then, umbrella organization of employees and employers have come forward with various views.</span></span></span></span></p> <p><span style="font-size:12pt"><span style="font-family:Cambria"><span style="font-size:11.0pt"><span style="font-family:Arial">The Labor Act requires the minimum wage be fixed on a monthly, daily and hourly basis in every two years. In the Fiscal Year 2018/19, the minimum salary was raised to Rs 13,450 but in the Fiscal Year 2019/20 and the current fiscal year, the minimum wage was not increased. </span></span></span></span></p> <p><span style="font-size:12pt"><span style="font-family:Cambria"><span style="font-size:11.0pt"><span style="font-family:Arial">According to the Nepal Gazette, the increased salary will be implemented from mid-July of Fiscal Year 2021/22. As soon as this notice was published, the private sector expressed dissatisfaction. The umbrella organization of the private sector has engaged in discussions to publish their formal statement.</span></span></span></span></p> <p><span style="font-size:12pt"><span style="font-family:Cambria"> </span></span><span style="font-size:12pt"><span style="font-family:Cambria"><span style="font-size:11.0pt"><span style="font-family:Arial">Shekhar Golchha, president of the Federation of Nepalese Chambers of Commerce and Industry (FNCCI) said that the government's decision has disappointed them. No discussions have been held with the FNCCI though it is the primary organization concerned with the decision. </span></span></span></span></p> <p><span style="font-size:12pt"><span style="font-family:Cambria"><span style="font-size:11.0pt"><span style="font-family:Arial">He said that the focus should be on how to secure current employment rather than on increasing minimum wages. "It may be reasonable according to the Act, but this is not the right time to raise the minimum wage, since we are in the middle of a global crisis," Golchha said.</span></span></span></span></p> <p><span style="font-size:12pt"><span style="font-family:Cambria"><span style="font-size:11.0pt"><span style="font-family:Arial">Rajesh Agrawal, vice president of the Confederation of Nepalese Industries (CNI) said it is not possible to implement the new wages. He said that it is not certain how long the prohibitory orders will be enforced so the announcement of increasing wages has disappointed them during this difficult time. </span></span></span></span></p> <p><span style="font-size:12pt"><span style="font-family:Cambria"><span style="font-size:11.0pt"><span style="font-family:Arial">Binod Kumar Shrestha, president of the General Federation of Nepalese Trade Union (GEFONT) said the new increased salary must be implemented from mid-July. He stressed on the need to implement the provision rather than debating whether it is the right time to raise the wages. He added that the increased salary is still low considering the current rate of inflation. Employers have been receiving various tax waivers from the government due to the impact of COVID-19. </span></span></span></span></p> <p><span style="font-size:12pt"><span style="font-family:Cambria"><span style="font-size:11.0pt"><span style="font-family:Arial">Despite the COVID-19 pandemic, most of the industries are performing well so they can't deny to provide the increased salary. </span></span></span></span></p> <p><span style="font-size:12pt"><span style="font-family:Cambria"><span style="font-size:11.0pt"><span style="font-family:Arial">"Instead of every two years, salary has been raised in three years so it is not right to express dissatisfaction over the decision. It is not reasonable to say they will not be able to provide the salary on the pretext of COVID-19 pandemic,” said Shrestha.</span></span></span></span></p> <p><span style="font-size:12pt"><span style="font-family:Cambria"><span style="font-size:11.0pt"><span style="font-family:Arial">Amidst the COVID-19 pandemic, most of the industries are doing well while many of them like five-star hotels are struggling. Employees of those hotels are still working for a meager salary of Rs 3000 to Rs 5000 per month, said Shrestha. The raised salary of Rs 15,000 includes basic salary and inflation allowance.</span></span></span></span></p> <p><span style="font-size:12pt"><span style="font-family:Cambria"><span style="font-size:11.0pt"><span style="font-family:Arial">Meanwhile, the daily wage of a worker has been increased to Rs 577 while the hourly wage has been increased to Rs 77 from Rs 48.</span></span></span></span></p> <p> </p> ', 'published' => true, 'created' => '2021-05-06', 'modified' => '2021-05-06', 'keywords' => '', 'description' => '', 'sortorder' => '13097', 'image' => '20210506120318_minimum.jpg', 'article_date' => '2021-05-06 12:01:49', 'homepage' => false, 'breaking_news' => false, 'main_news' => true, 'in_scroller' => null, 'user_id' => '34' ) ), (int) 11 => array( 'Article' => array( 'id' => '13351', 'article_category_id' => '1', 'title' => 'Asia-Pacific Can Emerge From Pandemic Stronger Than Before: ADB President', 'sub_title' => '', 'summary' => 'May 5: The Asia and the Pacific region can emerge from the coronavirus disease (COVID-19) pandemic “even stronger than before” by focusing on five areas to help achieve a prosperous, inclusive, resilient, and sustainable future.', 'content' => '<p><span style="font-size:12pt"><span style="font-family:Cambria"><span style="font-family:Times">May 5: The Asia and the Pacific region can emerge from the coronavirus disease (COVID-19) pandemic “even stronger than before” by focusing on five areas to help achieve a prosperous, inclusive, resilient, and sustainable future, according to the President of the Asian Development Bank (ADB) President Masatsugu Asakawa.</span></span></span></p> <p><span style="font-size:12pt"><span style="font-family:Cambria"><span style="font-family:Times">In his remarks to the ADB Board of Governors at its 54<sup>th</sup> annual meeting on Wednesday, May 5, Asakawa said that he believes “the path we have laid out” will help lead our region out of these uncertain times.</span></span></span></p> <p><span style="font-size:12pt"><span style="font-family:Cambria"><span style="font-family:Times">“We will continue to deliver ADB’s unique synergy of finance, knowledge, and partnerships. And we will prioritize the quality of our assistance over quantity, meeting near-term needs with a clear vision for the future. If we stay on this course, I am confident the region will emerge from the current crisis even stronger than before,” he said.</span></span></span></p> <p><span style="font-size:12pt"><span style="font-family:Cambria"><span style="font-family:Times">According to a press statement issued by ADB, Asakawa outlined a five-point agenda for the region covering areas critical to achieving a lasting and equitable recovery for Asia and the Pacific:</span></span></span></p> <ul> <li><span style="font-size:12pt"><span style="font-family:Cambria"><span style="font-family:Times">Place ambitious climate actions at the center of development, with increased focus on adaptation and resilience, and with full commitment to the goals of the Paris Agreement.</span></span></span></li> <li><span style="font-size:12pt"><span style="font-family:Cambria"><span style="font-family:Times">Address inequality including the gender gap—which has worsened during the pandemic—by investing in health, education, and social protection.</span></span></span></li> <li><span style="font-size:12pt"><span style="font-family:Cambria"><span style="font-family:Times">Promote high-quality green and digital infrastructure, enabling economies to rebuild smartly while closing the digital gap and attracting substantial private investment.</span></span></span></li> <li><span style="font-size:12pt"><span style="font-family:Cambria"><span style="font-family:Times">Deepen regional cooperation and integration, so that ADB developing member countries can seize the opportunities of renewed globalization and strengthen regional health security.</span></span></span></li> <li><span style="font-size:12pt"><span style="font-family:Cambria"><span style="font-family:Times">And strengthen domestic resource mobilization, to ensure that governments have the resources they need to finance sustainable growth and respond effectively to future crises.</span></span></span></li> </ul> <p><span style="font-size:12pt"><span style="font-family:Cambria"><span style="font-family:Times">Action on these priorities can build on ADB’s response to COVID-19 in 2020. Its total commitments in 2020 reached a record high of $31.6 billion, with just over half supporting operations to respond to the pandemic, the statement added. The balance was committed to address long-term development issues such as the gender equality gap, the impacts of climate change, and investments in quality infrastructure. These achievements were supported by record-high co-financing of $16.4 billion and record-high capital market borrowings of over $35 billion.</span></span></span></p> <p><span style="font-size:12pt"><span style="font-family:Cambria"><span style="font-family:Times">“During the height of the pandemic, I reassured my staff that we will someday look back with pride at what we accomplished for the people of the region. I believe more than ever that this is true,” the statement quoted Asakawa as saying.</span></span></span></p> <p> </p> ', 'published' => true, 'created' => '2021-05-05', 'modified' => '2021-05-05', 'keywords' => '', 'description' => '', 'sortorder' => '13096', 'image' => '20210505093800_128216.jpeg', 'article_date' => '2021-05-05 21:37:11', 'homepage' => false, 'breaking_news' => false, 'main_news' => true, 'in_scroller' => false, 'user_id' => '34' ) ), (int) 12 => array( 'Article' => array( 'id' => '13350', 'article_category_id' => '1', 'title' => ' Fall Armyworms Attack Maize in 67 Districts', 'sub_title' => '', 'summary' => 'May 5: Maize planted in 67 districts across the country have been overwhelmed by fall armyworms. ', 'content' => '<p><span style="font-size:12pt"><span style="font-family:Cambria"><span style="font-size:14.0pt"><span style="font-family:Times">May 5: Maize planted in 67 districts across the country have been overwhelmed by fall armyworms. According to the Plant Quarantine and Pesticide Management Center, armyworms have attacked newly planted maize in all the districts of the Terai as well as some high hill districts. The pest especially damages crops like maize, wheat, and paddy. Last year, the pest had damaged crops in 63 districts.<br /> Sahadev Humagain, head of the Plant Quarantine and Pesticide Management Center, said that they have not been able to get the details of the extent of damage done to the maize crop planted in 67 districts. He informed that it was difficult to collect the details of the damage due to the lack of sufficient manpower.<br /> However, for the control and prevention of outbreak, the district-based agricultural knowledge centre and technicians from the local bodies have been trained and mobilized. It is also said that the centre is working to spread public awareness on armyworm outbreak control measures through various media.<br /> Entrepreneurs have said that the country has sufficient pesticides for pest control and prevention. However, transportation is a bit inconvenient due to the ongoing prohibition order. Currently, the demand for pesticides has surged in Dang, Banke, Bardiya, Rupandehi, Kapilvastu, Chitwan, Birgunj, Bara, Parsa, Rautahat, among other districts.<br /> Experts say that farmers and technicians have problems in controlling this insect even though they have received training about it. These insects are especially active between February to August. But in some Terai districts, these insects are active throughout the year, inform agronomists.<br /> Experts say that since this insect has adapted to Nepal's climate, it cannot be completely eradicated from the country. However, it can be controlled by being precautious and paying attention from the very beginning.<br /> According to Humagain, head of the centre, special attention should be given to healthy seeds, healthy soil, and balanced irrigation while planting crops to avoid pest infestation. He said that as the larvae of this insect would affect the crop more, it would be appropriate to kill the larvae using the recommended pesticides.</span></span></span></span></p> <p> </p> ', 'published' => true, 'created' => '2021-05-05', 'modified' => '2021-05-05', 'keywords' => '', 'description' => '', 'sortorder' => '13095', 'image' => '20210505033704_20181030022432_Makai.jpg', 'article_date' => '2021-05-05 15:36:08', 'homepage' => false, 'breaking_news' => false, 'main_news' => true, 'in_scroller' => false, 'user_id' => '34' ) ), (int) 13 => array( 'Article' => array( 'id' => '13349', 'article_category_id' => '1', 'title' => 'ADB Launches Tax Hub to Enhance Domestic Resource Mobilization and International Tax Cooperation', 'sub_title' => '', 'summary' => 'May 5: The Asian Development Bank (ADB) on Monday (May 3) launched the Asia Pacific Tax Hub.', 'content' => '<p><span style="font-size:12pt"><span style="font-family:Cambria"><span style="font-size:14.0pt"><span style="font-family:Times">May 5: </span></span><span style="font-size:14.0pt"><span style="font-family:Times">The Asian Development Bank (ADB) on Monday (May 3) launched the Asia Pacific Tax Hub to create an open and inclusive platform to promote strategic policy dialogue, improve knowledge sharing, and strengthen coordination on tax policy and administration among ADB, its members, and development partners.</span></span></span></span></p> <p><span style="font-size:12pt"><span style="font-family:Cambria"><span style="font-size:14.0pt"><span style="font-family:Times">ADB said in a statement that the hub will maximize regional and international resources to strengthen domestic resource mobilization (DRM) and international tax cooperation (ITC) in ADB’s developing member countries (DMCs).</span></span></span></span></p> <p><span style="font-size:12pt"><span style="font-family:Cambria"><span style="font-size:14.0pt"><span style="font-family:Times">“Domestic resource mobilization has emerged as a major strategic priority for our DMCs at this moment. It will be vital in the effort to address debt sustainability and to achieve the Sustainable Development Goals,” the statement quoted ADB President Masatsuga Asakawa as saying in a seminar at ADB’s 54<sup>th</sup> Annual Meeting.</span></span></span></span></p> <p><span style="font-size:12pt"><span style="font-family:Cambria"><span style="font-size:14.0pt"><span style="font-family:Times">“The lack of a pan-regional tax community has been a unique and significant shortcoming for Asia and the Pacific. To address this, I would like to announce today the official launch of the Asia Pacific Tax Hub,” he added. </span></span></span></span></p> <p><span style="font-size:12pt"><span style="font-family:Cambria"><span style="font-size:14.0pt"><span style="font-family:Times">According to ADB, the hub will support DMCs on three main building blocks – preparation of medium-term revenue strategies (MTRS); roadmaps for the automation of tax administration, and proactive participation in international tax initiatives.</span></span></span></span></p> <p><span style="font-size:12pt"><span style="font-family:Cambria"><span style="font-size:14.0pt"><span style="font-family:Times">The hub aims to play a key role by stimulating regional dialogue and knowledge sharing on needed reforms. Through the hub, ADB will </span></span><span style="font-size:14.0pt"><span style="font-family:Times">coordinate closely with the International Monetary Fund (IMF) to support DMCs as they formulate country-specific MTRS, with activities such as regional workshops in collaboration with the Platform for Collaboration on Tax and diagnostic tools like the Tax Administration Diagnostic Assessment Tool. </span></span></span></span></p> <p><span style="font-size:12pt"><span style="font-family:Cambria"><span style="font-size:14.0pt"><span style="font-family:Times">It will also</span></span> <span style="font-size:14.0pt"><span style="font-family:Times">conduct needs assessments to prepare roadmaps for the automation of tax administrations in DMCs, and support their implementation in collaboration with development partners and leading countries in this area.</span></span></span></span></p> <p><span style="font-size:12pt"><span style="font-family:Cambria"><span style="font-size:14.0pt"><span style="font-family:Times">ADB said it is establishing a secretariat to operationalize the hub and plans to organize a Steering Committee to bring together key development partners and DMCs willing to actively engage in the hub. It will work closely together with the hub secretariat to lead the operation of the hub. </span></span></span></span></p> <p><span style="font-size:12pt"><span style="font-family:Cambria"><span style="font-size:14.0pt"><span style="font-family:Times">The hub will organize a first High-Level Conference by the fourth quarter of 2021 to report on progress and discuss next steps on the three building blocks of the hub, including details of the operations of the hub secretariat and Steering Committee.</span></span></span></span></p> <p> </p> ', 'published' => true, 'created' => '2021-05-05', 'modified' => '2021-05-05', 'keywords' => '', 'description' => '', 'sortorder' => '13094', 'image' => '20210505032710_20200430022205_asian-development-bank-ru.jpg', 'article_date' => '2021-05-05 15:26:22', 'homepage' => false, 'breaking_news' => false, 'main_news' => true, 'in_scroller' => null, 'user_id' => '34' ) ), (int) 14 => array( 'Article' => array( 'id' => '13348', 'article_category_id' => '1', 'title' => 'Authorities Extend Prohibitory Order in Kathmandu Valley by a Week', 'sub_title' => '', 'summary' => 'May 5: The district administration offices in the Kathmandu valley have decided to extend the ongoing prohibitory order by one more week.', 'content' => '<p><span style="font-size:10pt"><span style="font-family:Times"><span style="font-size:14.0pt">May 5: The district administration offices in the Kathmandu valley have decided to extend the ongoing prohibitory order by one more week.</span></span></span></p> <p><span style="font-size:10pt"><span style="font-family:Times"><span style="font-size:14.0pt">A meeting of the chief district officers of Kathmandu, Lalitpur and Bhaktapur on Tuesday (May 4) took a decision to this effect. The DAOs extended the prohibitory orders in line with the recent cabinet decision allowing the districts chiefs to issue prohibitory orders for at least 15 days.</span></span></span></p> <p><span style="font-size:10pt"><span style="font-family:Times"><span style="font-size:14.0pt">The prohibitory order will be in force till May 12 now.</span></span></span></p> <p><span style="font-size:10pt"><span style="font-family:Times"><span style="font-size:14.0pt">The authorities have also decided to further tighten the restrictions during this period. </span></span></span></p> <p><span style="font-size:10pt"><span style="font-family:Times"><span style="font-size:14.0pt">According to the Chief District Officer of Kathmandu, Kali Prasad Parajuli, government authorities have decided to change the modality of prohibitory order to curb the disease. </span></span></span></p> <p><span style="font-size:10pt"><span style="font-family:Times"><span style="font-size:14.0pt">The district authorities have decided to bar movement of people except in case of emergency. </span></span></span></p> <p><span style="font-size:10pt"><span style="font-family:Times"><span style="font-size:14.0pt">“We will take action against anyone found moving around without any emergency,” said CDO Parajuli.</span></span></span></p> <p><span style="font-size:10pt"><span style="font-family:Times"><span style="font-size:14.0pt">Shops selling essential supplies will be allowed to operate from 7-9 am instead of 7-10 am and 5 pm to 7 pm.</span></span></span></p> <p><span style="font-size:10pt"><span style="font-family:Times"><span style="font-size:14.0pt">All permits issued for vehicles will be invalid from now.</span></span></span></p> <p><span style="font-size:10pt"><span style="font-family:Times"><span style="font-size:14.0pt">However, vehicles carrying essential goods and those supplying food will be allowed to operate during the prohibitory order. The prohibitory order does not apply to ambulances.</span></span></span></p> <p><span style="font-size:10pt"><span style="font-family:Times"><span style="font-size:14.0pt">Meanwhile, Banks and Financial Institutions will be allowed to operate at a 25 per cent capacity.</span></span></span></p> <p><span style="font-size:10pt"><span style="font-family:Times"><span style="font-size:14.0pt">The three districts in the valley imposed prohibitory order on April 29 following a rise in number of Covid-19 cases. The government has authorised Chief District Officers to impose such orders.</span></span></span></p> ', 'published' => true, 'created' => '2021-05-05', 'modified' => '2021-05-05', 'keywords' => '', 'description' => '', 'sortorder' => '13093', 'image' => '20210505125006_1620171246.Clipboard09.jpg', 'article_date' => '2021-05-05 12:49:21', 'homepage' => false, 'breaking_news' => false, 'main_news' => true, 'in_scroller' => null, 'user_id' => '34' ) ) ) $current_user = null $logged_in = false $xml = falsesimplexml_load_file - [internal], line ?? include - APP/View/Elements/side_bar.ctp, line 133 View::_evaluate() - CORE/Cake/View/View.php, line 971 View::_render() - CORE/Cake/View/View.php, line 933 View::_renderElement() - CORE/Cake/View/View.php, line 1224 View::element() - CORE/Cake/View/View.php, line 418 include - APP/View/Articles/index.ctp, line 157 View::_evaluate() - CORE/Cake/View/View.php, line 971 View::_render() - CORE/Cake/View/View.php, line 933 View::render() - CORE/Cake/View/View.php, line 473 Controller::render() - CORE/Cake/Controller/Controller.php, line 968 Dispatcher::_invoke() - CORE/Cake/Routing/Dispatcher.php, line 200 Dispatcher::dispatch() - CORE/Cake/Routing/Dispatcher.php, line 167 [main] - APP/webroot/index.php, line 117
| Currency | Unit |
Buy | Sell |
| U.S. Dollar | 1 | 121.23 | 121.83 |
| European Euro | 1 | 131.65 | 132.31 |
| UK Pound Sterling | 1 | 142.47 | 143.18 |
| Swiss Franc | 1 | 124.29 | 124.90 |
| Australian Dollar | 1 | 71.69 | 72.05 |
| Canadian Dollar | 1 | 83.90 | 84.32 |
| Japanese Yen | 10 | 10.94 | 11.00 |
| Chinese Yuan | 1 | 17.17 | 17.26 |
| Saudi Arabian Riyal | 1 | 32.27 | 32.43 |
| UAE Dirham | 1 | 33.01 | 33.17 |
| Malaysian Ringgit | 1 | 27.36 | 27.50 |
| South Korean Won | 100 | 9.77 | 9.82 |
Update: 2020-03-25 | Source: Nepal Rastra Bank (NRB)
| Fine Gold | 1 tola | 77000.00 |
| Tejabi Gold | 1 tola | 76700.00 |
| Silver | 1 tola | 720.00 |
Update : 2020-03-25
Source: Federation of Nepal Gold and Silver Dealers' Association
| Petrol | 1 Liter | 106.00 |
| Diesel | 1 Liter | 95.00 |
| Kerosene | 1 Liter | 95.00 |
| LP Gas | 1 Cylinder | 1375.00 |
Update : 2020-03-25
