- Wednesday, 18 December 2024
Chautara (Sindhupalchowk), April 19: Chemical fertilizer imported from China is being transported to Kathmandu from Tatopani Customs Office.
The fertilizer, which was stored in warehouse for the past 11 months, is being transported to Kathmandu after Trans Silk, the company getting contract to import fertilizer, completed necessary process.
According to Tatopani Customs Office, total 3,500 tonnes of chemical fertilizer has been sent to Kathmandu after the agreement between Agriculture Materials Company and Trans Silk.
Chief of Tatopani Customs Office, Dayanand KC, said out of 3,500 tonnes of chemical fertilizer, more than 1,200 tonnes of fertilizer has reached Kathmandu so far. The remaining amount of chemical fertilizer would reach Kathmandu soon as it is in customs clearance process.
—
08- Gold price up Rs 700 per tola
Kathmandu, April 19: The price of gold has climbed in the domestic market today as well. According to the Federation of Nepal Gold and Silver Dealers’ Association, the price of hallmark gold has gone up by Rs 700 per tola (11.66 grams).
Hallmark gold was traded at Rs 138 thousand and 600 per tola on Thursday and its price is fixed at Rs 139 thousand and 300 today. The price of worked gold has also increased by Rs 700 per tola. It was Rs 137 thousand and 950 per tola on Thursday and it is determined at Rs 138 thousand and 650 today.
However, the price of silver has decreased nominally today. Silver was traded at Rs 1,725 on Thursday and it is being traded for Rs 1,720 per tola today.
—
09- Nawalpur women achieve economic independence from operating homestay
Trivani (Nawalparasi), April 19: Bal Kumari Mahato of Kawasoti in Nawalparasi (Bardaghat Susta Purba) district does not worry anymore how to run her household thanks to the income she makes from operating homestay.
Earlier dependent on agriculture, Mahato has found better source of income from operation of homestay for nearly five years thereby gaining economic independence.
Like Mahato, there are a handful of women in Chilaha village who are engaged in homestay. Resham Kumari Mahato of Kawasoti-10 for one shared, “Earlier we were involved in agriculture and earned scantly. After operating homestay, earning has increased.” The entrepreneurial women admitted that they enjoy attending to the guests and regale them with their cultural performances and delicacies besides enjoying financial freedom. The enterprises have further empowered them by developing leadership qualities in them and further harnessing their management skills.
“Earlier we were too shy to talk to strangers but since we forayed into homestay enterprises, we have learned how to talk shop and run our enterprises confidently,” gushed Resham Kumari. The village where they operate homestay is predominantly a Tharu settlement and lies nearby a buffer zone. Most of the women running homestay at present were involved in agriculture in the past which did not yield them good returns due to menace of wild animals.
Animal husbandry also failed them secure a good income for the wild animals would prey their domestic animals. In lack of good income, their living standard had gone down, admitted Mahato. “Following the homestay operation, our village is witnessing a socio-economic transformation and the living standards of fellow villagers have improved notably,” she observed.
These entrepreneurial women have adequately secured support from their spouses and family in running their business. Since the introduction of home stay, the village has welcomed around 11,000 guests, both domestic and external, informed Prem Bahadur Mukhiya, homestay manager. Jeep safari in another attraction for the homestay guests, added Mukhiya. Besides savoring the Tharu delicacies, nature enthusiasts could enthrall themselves watching wild animals such as rhino, antelope, wild boar, peacock, crocodiles and various species of birds roaming around in the buffer zone, he said.
Ward chairperson of Kawasoti-10 Tek Narayan Mahato asserted that homestay had contributed in development and upliftment of the local community besides aiding in nature and culture conservation.
—
10- Telephone service restored in Bhotkhola after a week
Kimathanka (Sankhuwasabha), April 19: Communication services have been restored in Bhotkhola, the remote northern region of Sankhuwasabha district, after a week since they were disrupted.
The telephone service in the remote northern region Bhotkhola rural municipality which was disrupted has been restored after a week, said Prem Kumar Rai, Chief of the Telecom Office Sankhuwasabha.
The service had disrupted after lightning struck the telephone tower on Lachi hill on the border between Bhotkhola rural municipality’s ward number 2 and 4 on April 9. The battery backup, equipment and associated tower machinery exploded due to the lightning strike, disrupting the service.
People of a dozen villages including Hatiya, Chyamtang, Chepuwa, Lingagam, Chhumsur, Ridak Bhotkhola ward number 2 and 3 now have telephone services restored. The BTS towers in remote villages without power supply are still powered by solar batteries.
It is said that it was difficult for the technical team dispatched from Khandbari for repairing the tower and equipment to reach Bhotkhola in time due to adverse weather and difficult geography.
—
11- Over 400 thousand tourists visited Mustang by road last year
Galeshwar (Myagdi), April 19: Four hundred thousand tourists visited Mustang from April 14, 2023 to April 12, 2024 by road, according to data with the Ghasa police station located on the transit point to Myagdi-Mustang.
The statistics shows that 414 thousand and 280 domestic and foreign tourists visited Mustang during that period. The number of domestic visitors entering Mustang via road is 335 thousand and 466, including 220 thousand and 724 male and 114 thousand and 742 female, said Deputy Superintendent Bhojraj Pandey, the Chief of the District Police Office Mustang.
Similarly, DSP Pandey said 78 thousand and 814 foreigners visited Mustang during that period. Among them, 72 thousand 756 are from the SAARC countries while 6058 are from countries other than the SAARC member states.
According to him, 38 thousand and 821 males and 33 thousand and 935 women from SAARC countries visited Mustang during the period. Similarly, 3,648 male and 2,410 female visitors from countries other than the SAARC member countries visited Mustang in the same period.
The data shows that 11 thousand and 484 tourists arrived Mustang via air. Among them, 1,679 are domestic tourists (1,134 males and 545 female), 8,055 including 3,767 male and 4,288 females are from the SAARC countries and 1,750 visitors (886 male and 864 female) are from countries other than the SAARC member countries.
Known as the district beyond the Himalayas, Mustang is a prime tourism destination known for its iconic desert-like landscape. The bare mountains, Himalayan climate, culture and lifestyle, lakes, monasteries, Muktinath temple, caves are the attractions of Mustang.
Inflow of tourists to the religious and tourist places of Mustang including Muktinath, Jomsom, Kagbeni, Lomanthang, Marpha, Thini, Dhumba Lake has gradually started increasing since last year, according to local tourism entrepreneurs.
—
12- African Scout girls gush-We will take home Nepal’s culture and language
Kathmandu, April 19 : Christine Uwizeye did not have anything except for some set of clothes in her bag and a sheer curiosity about Nepal when she first came here from Rwanda four months ago.
She gleaned information about Nepal in Google that Nepal is a mountainous country. All she had in her imagination was the image of lush verdant hilly areas and snow-capped mountains of Nepal while she boarded flight from Rwanda.
There were no similarities between the languages and living style between Nepal and Rwanda. Armoured by confidence to learn and to teach others, a quality she imbibed from her involvement in the Scouts movement, she landed in Nepal which was going to be her second home.
What to learn and how to learn? She kept peddling these questions in her mind and started learning Nepali language due to her passion to learn. Although not so well versed with the foreign language, she can confidently introduce herself in Nepali language at present.
Within four months, she has educated herself about the Nepali language and cultures. According to her, it’s imperative to learn language and lifestyle of anyone if you want to build rapport with anyone. “Language would bridge people and it instills a sense of belongingness among people,” the Rwandan teenager observed.
Along with her, four others Scout ladies from Ghana, Malawi, Madagascar and Uganda are currently in Nepal at the invitation of Nepal Scouts. These five ladies are not also learning Nepali language and cultures but also sharing their experiences in schools. Reyshma (as in Reshma) Salim from Malawi frequently faces question regarding the origin of her name in Nepal. Her name generally piques curiosity among any Nepalis she interacts with. “How could an African lady have name like Reshma?” They wonder.
She described that her name had a bearing with her family historical connection with India. Her grandmother was of Indian origin and thus she named her granddaughter Reyshma.
Another reason why Reyshma is fascinated towards Nepal is its proximity with India. She feels a ‘connect’ with Nepal which borders India which is related to maternal side of her family. “I feel like I am at the home of my mom’s parents,” she confided, praising the Nepalis as kind-hearted ones. Felana Rakotonandrasana of Madagascar is fascinated by the natural beauty of Nepal. She has captured some beauty of Nepal in pictures.
Similarly, Nepal’s adventure has allured Eugenia Fiador of Ghana. Youth Programme Officer of Nepal Scouts, Saru Gosai, shared that the programme was organised with an objective of empowering girls.Also the Country Coordinator of YESS Girls Movement, Nepal, Saru mentioned that there are two world scout organisations—World Organisation of the Scout Movement (WOSM) and World Association of Girl Guides and Girls Scout (WAGGGS).
There are different initiatives under this WAGGGS. ‘YESS Girls Movement’ is one of the initiatives. This is south to south youth exchange initiative. One exchange programme is of six months and another is of 10 months. Thirteen countries including Nepal and Bangladesh are associated to it. Scouts of different countries exchange experiences of each other’s countries visiting as a volunteer.
Five girl scouts have arrived Nepal from Africa this time as volunteers under this programme. They would observe the working style, lifestyle, language, activities and surroundings during their stay in Nepal. Similarly, five Nepali girl scouts have been working in five different countries. This programme was launched in Nepal in 2018. The number of Nepali girl scouts sending to foreign countries under the programme has increased to five from three. Nepal had started sending and inviting girl scouts from 2020. Earlier, Nepal used to invite girl scouts.
Saru further said that participant scout volunteers of Africa launches different education related awareness programmes in different community and private schools and make the student understand about the importance of being a scout. Green Tech Generation campaign is under this programme where information oriented activities related to environment are carried out. Similarly, mensuration related education is imparted under ‘Red Pride’ programme. A new programme has been added this year which is related to science, technology, engineering and math.
This programme was added with an objective of increasing participation of girls in this sector. ‘Yes girls can say no to cyberbullying’ is the main theme under ‘Yes girls can campaign’. They have been teaching the ways to be safe from different violence taking place from online in recent period, underlined Saru.
—
13- Ministry cautions docs working in government hospitals not to work in private ones
Kathmandu, April 19: The Ministry of Health and Population has reminded the doctors and health workers working under it that it is illegal for them to work full-time in the private health institutions.
Issuing an appeal, Ministry Secretary Madhusudan Burlakoti has urged the doctors and health workers working with the Ministry not to work full-time in private health facilities, stating doing so is illegal.
“The Ministry’s serious attention is drawn towards the complaints that doctors and health workers working under the Ministry are working full-time in the private health institutions operating in the country, and in the government-run and private health institutions abroad, either by getting or not getting their leave approved,” reads the appeal.
It further states: “The Ministry requests the doctors and health workers as well as medical staff involved in such employment to abide by the law and refrain from involving in illegal activities, as working full-time in private health institutions is against the existing laws and statutes.”
—
14- 550,000 people acquire work permit till April of current fiscal year
Kathmandu, April 19: Around 550,000 people have acquired work permit for overseas employment till April 12 of current fiscal year 2023/24.
Of them, 70,933 workers acquired work permit from March 14 to April 12. Director at the Department of Foreign Employment and Information Officer Kabiraj Upreti said of them, 64,241 are men and 6,692 are women.
Similarly, 55,575 people received work permit from July 17-August 17, 2023; 50,884 from August 18-September 17, 2023; 56,235 from September 18-October 17, 2023; 43,622 from October 18-November 16, 2023; 71,276 from November 17-December 16, 2023; 65,813 from December 17, 2023-January 14, 2024; 62,147 from January 15-February 12, 2024 and 65,658 from February 13-March 13, 2024, according to data of the Department.
A total of 17,818 people have gone for overseas employment in UAE while 13,614 in Saudi Arabia, 11,204 in Qatar, 12,602 in Malaysia, 4,076 in Kuwait and 964 in Bahrain from March 14-April 12, 2024.
Similarly, 2,299 people have gone for foreign employment in Romania, 960 in Croatia, 789 in Cyprus, 1,351 in Japan, 493 in Maldives, 620 in Mauritius, and 657 in South Korea, shows the data.
—
15- Lawmaker Khan sworn in
Kathmandu, April 19: Speaker Devraj Ghimire has administered the oath of office and secrecy to the newly-elected lawmaker Hasina Khan. Khan was elected the Member of the House of Representatives through the proportional representation electoral system.
Speaker Ghimire administered the oath to Khan amidst a programme organized at the Parliament Secretariat in Singha Durbar today. On the occasion, the Speaker handed the Parliament’s logo to Khan and congratulated her on her election as the Member of Parliament.
As per the Parliament’s laws, any newly-elected Member of Parliament has to take oath of office and secrecy before the Speaker prior to taking part in the parliament’s meetings. Secretary-General of the Federal Parliament Secretariat, Padma Prasad Pandeya, extended congratulations and best wishes to Khan, and also handed a copy of the Constitution of Nepal and the Parliament Regulations and other documents that the Secretariat provides to the lawmakers.
The 29-year-old Khan was elected from the Janata Samajbadi Party. The Election Commission had informed the Parliament Secretariat that she has been elected to the vacant post following the death of Manju Ansari Sharma some time back. Khan has studied up to the Bachelor’s level. “I will strive to fulfill the responsibilities of a lawmaker in an effective way and especially I will raise the women’s issues in parliament,” she said. Born at Pokharbhindi of Rohini rural municipality in Rupandehi district, lawmaker Khan currently lives in Duduwa rural municipality-3 of Banke district. Her present working area is in Banke.
—
16- NC boycotts Gandaki Province Assembly meetings
Gandaki, April 19: The Nepali Congress (NC) has decided to boycott the Province Assembly meeting in Gandaki Province called for today at 3:00pm.
The meeting of NC parliamentary party decided to not to attend the Province Assembly meetings until there is any verdict on the writ filed by NC parliamentary party member Surendra Raj Pandey regarding the legitimacy of the provincial government led by Khagaraj Adhikari.
The Supreme Court, recently issuing an interim order on the preliminary hearing on the petition, ordered the provincial government not to take major decisions until any conclusion was reached on the petition.
The courts had also ordered to set April 22 for full hearing on the petition. The statement issued by NC Chief Whip Nanda Prasad Neupane here today said that the NC had submitted an attention letter to the Speaker of the Province Assembly stating that the Chief Minister of the Province called the Province Assembly to obtain vote of confidence ignoring the interim order.
“The Province Assembly Members of the Nepali Congress would like to inform that a decision has been made that we will not attend the meeting of the Gandaki Province Assembly called for 3.00pm on April 19 as well as any other meeting of the Province Assembly that are convened until the Honorable Supreme Court gives its final verdict,” reads the press release.
The Nepali Congress stated that the recommendation to summon the Province Assembly session and the Province Chief summoning the session are inappropriate in the context of the Supreme Court issuing stay order not to take and have taken decisions having long-term consequences.
Likewise, the Congress has urged the bodies concerned not to conduct and have conducted the Province Assembly session, saying doing so until the final verdict of the case that is sub-judice in the court is made would be constitutionally wrong and inconsistent with the parliamentary decorum and tradition.
—
17- Minister Bhandari assures of new policy to re-operate defunct or sick industries
Narayangadh (Chitwan), April 19: Minister for Industry, Commerce and Supplies Damodar Bhandari assured that the incumbent government would roll out a new policy to revive defunct or sick industries.
At the inaugural of an industrial exhibition and information technology fair at Bharatpur Metropolitan City-10 in Chitwan district, Minister Bhandari said that discussions would be held thoroughly to introduce new policy to re-operate such industries.
The Minister further shared that government, from the upcoming fiscal year’s policy, programme and budget, would ensure that each province gets at least one industrial area. According to him, the government was working towards preventing the situation where the entrepreneurs and industrialists should grow depressed. “We will turn the current despair into hope,” he pledged.
Stating that the government was mainly focused for making the upcoming third Investment Summit a success, he informed that policy related to increasing consumption of domestic goods and start-up would be introduced very soon. He emphasized amendment in the industry policy in timely manner to boost domestic production.
Minister Bhandari lamented that the problems at policy level among the three-tier government had caused impeded economic activities and committed to move ahead by ironing out such issues.
—
18- UAE defeats Nepal by six wickets in semi-final match
Kathmandu, April 19: United Arab Emirates has defeated Nepal by six wickets in the first semi-final match held today under the ACC Men’s Premier Cup T-20 Cricket.
With this victory, UAE has entered final. It will face the winner of next semifinal match to be held today itself. Oman and Hong Kong are playing the next semi-final match. In the match held at Al-Amerat Cricket Ground of Oman, invited to bat first after losing the toss, Nepal had posted a target of 120 runs before UAE. In response, UAE met the target in 17.2 overs losing four wickets. Alishan Sharafu gathered 55 runs in 41 balls for UAE.
Similarly, Vishnu Sukumaran made 28 runs, Syed Haider 14 runs, Muhammad Waseem 11 runs, Asif Khan 10 runs. Nepal’s Gulsan Jha took two wickets while Sompal Kami and lalit Rajbanshi one wicket each. Nepal made only 119 runs in 20 overs losing all wickets. Sandeep Jora made the highest 50 runs for Nepal, Gulsan Jha 20 runs, and Karan KC 17 runs while other batters could not collect double digit runs in the match.
Likewise, Junaid Siddique, Ali Naseer, Aayan Afzal Khan and Muhammad Farooq took one wicket each. Nepal had entered semi-final as the winner of Group ‘A’ while UAE runner-up team of Group ‘B’. Nepal had won all four group-wise matches.
—
