November 28: The District Administration Office (DAO) Parsa has so far settled 438 cases related to loansharking. Parsa's Assistant Chief District Officer, Shiba Prasad Lamsal, said they received a total of 1,321 complaints through online registration and sorted out 438 through mutual understanding, bringing justice to the victims.    
Legal proceedings have been initiated in two cases after the two sides failed to reach a mutual understanding. The majority of complaints revolved around issues related to borrowing of money and land. In some cases, the victims were deceived during the loan acquisition process.  Documents show that the victims were provided more loans than they actually received.    
It may be noted that in July of this year, the parliament passed a bill recognizing usury, primarily prevalent in the Terai region, as a criminal offence. This legislative move came in response to a five-point agreement reached between the government and victims of loan sharks in April. -- RSS