- Tuesday, 19 November 2024
Kathmandu, May 2: Kathmandu, the federal capital of Nepal, has been again ranked the world’s most polluted city.
According to the data of the Air Quality Index today, Kathmandu’s overall AQI has reached 162 while Chiang Mai city of Thailand is in the second position and Medan of Indonesia has been identified as the world’s third most polluted city.
According to the people concerned, air pollution is soaring in Kathmandu due to rising incidents of forest fire amidst the increasing temperature.
The National Disaster Risk Reduction and Management Authority, today, records 165 incidents of forest fire in 39 districts across the country.
According to wild fire expert, Sundar Sharma, the increasing number of forest fires has contributed to air pollution in major cities of the country including the federal capital. If no rainfall in the next few days, it will be challenging to contain the forest fire and reduce air pollution, according to him.
Meteorologist Govinda Jha said there are no chances of rainfall immediately despite a brief rain in some parts.
Disaster management expert Dr Dharma Raj Upreti said AQI from 0-50 is considered good for public health as it is indicated by a green signal while 51-100 is moderate and marked by yellow, but it still warns us to be careful on time.
It is unhealthy specifically for sensitive groups such as those who have respiratory and cardio issues if measured from 101-150 and is it highlighted by orange.
Similarly AQI from 151-200 is indicated by red to suggest that it is unhealthy for all, 201-300 is highlighted by purple and it is very unhealthy. If it is measured 301-400, it is hazardous and 401-500 is highly hazardous and they are denoted by maroon.
Air Quality Management Action Plan for the Kathmandu Valley, 2076 BS considers the situation measuring AQI above 300 as a disaster.
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Sub-editor Sharma bereaved of his mother
Kathmandu, May 2: Sub-editor at the International Desk of the Rastriya Samachar Samiti, Dilip Sharma, has been bereaved of his mother.
His mother Dil Kumari Sharma, 80, passed away this morning. Suffering from brain hemorrhage for the past six months, Dil Kumari died at Mulpani-based residence at 9:00 am. A resident of Baglung municipality-12, she was born in 2002 BS.
Her last rites would be performed at Pashupati Aryaghat today itself. She is survived by seven sons including sub-editor Sharma.
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Pokhara Airport resumes from today
Kathmandu, May 2: The Pokhara Regional International Airport which was temporarily closed for the past few days due to a low visibility issue has resumed its services from this morning.
According to Buddha Air’s information office Dipendra Kumar Karna, the airport was reopened after the status of its visibility improved. In the past four days, flight operations were completely halted for two days while flights were operated partially in the remaining two days.
Incidents of forest fires near the airport and the presence of haze contributed to the low visibility in the area. However, with improved weather conditions this morning, air services have been restored. Passengers who had flight tickets during this period opted to travel by road.
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International conference on community mental health in Jumla from May 4
Karnali, May 2: The first international conference related to community mental health is to be organised at the Karnali Academy of Health Sciences (KAHS), Jumla.
The two-day event is going to be organised from May 4 at the collaboration of Harvard University Massachusetts General Hospital Psychiatric Department, America, and KAHS, Jumla.
Harvard University’s Faculty Dr Shreedhar Poudel said the conference of international standard is going to be organised with an objective of taking mental health services among the access of all citizens of remote areas.
More than 90 psychiatrists, psychologists and psycho-social counsellors from Nepal and four from America would participate in the conference. Around 50 working papers related to mental illness would be presented in the conference, he added.
Secretary at the Ministry of Health and Population, Social Development Minister of Karnali Province, chiefs of local governments and representatives of non-government offices would participate in the conference.
Vice-Chancellor of KAHS, Jumla, Dr Mangal Rawal, mentioned that the conference would help to improve mental health situation of Nepal including Karnali folks.
He further added, “There will be collaboration and partnership between Harvard University and KAHS in health education, research and services.”
Similarly, Head of General Practice and Emergency Department of the KAHS, Dr Tula Gupta, shared that the conference is going to be organised keeping the mental health condition of citizens of remote areas in mind despite different challenges.
The conference would also issue ‘Jumla Declaration’. Centre for Mental Health and Counseling Nepal, Health Foundation, Integrated Mental Health Centre and Nepal Health Corps will work as partner agencies in the conference.
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Risk-bearing vital for economic achievements: Finance Minister Pun
According to the Finance Minister’s Secretariat, the Minister sought submissions from former finance secretaries, Nepal Rastra Bank (NRB) former governor and former vice chairs of the National Planning Commission in a bid to secure their opinions and expertise in regard with the new budget.
During the meeting, the participants advised the government to bear in mind the implementation aspect of the budget, making its realistic.
The advised for increasing capital expenditures with the reduction in the general expenditures, adopting a policy for the promotion of export trade.
The submissions from the related people were for not investing from the federal government in small projects remaining within the jurisdictions of the province and local government, for resolving the problems that plague the cooperative sector and for carrying out a structural improvement of bodies responsible for implementing the budget.
Similarly, they were of the views of enhancing cooperation among the federal, province and local levels for implementing federalism effectively, accelerating and concluding the current big projects, garnering more foreign investment and motivating the morale of bureaucracy.
NPC former vice chairs Dr Pushpa Raj Kandel, Dr Dinesh Chandra Devkota and Deependra Bahadur Kshetry, NRB former governor Dipendra Purush Dhakal, former chief secretary Bimal Koirala, former finance secretaries Krishnhari Sharma, Suman Sharma, Shankar Adhikari, Rajan Adhikari and Ramsharan Pudasaini were among those present in the meeting.
Following the meeting, the Minister said the government has realised that the government, political parties, private sector, bureaucrats and experts from the economic sector are worried about the economic slowdown and eager to explore ways for the economic revival in the country.
He stressed the need of harmonization between the government’s fiscal policy and the monetary policy issued by Nepal Rastra Bank. The Finance Minister suggested gradually loosening the strictures put in place when the economy was in crisis, saying discussions were on with the NRB to that connection.
According to the Finance Minister, the government is moving ahead to lift up the weak confidence of the private sector and the bureaucracy. “The confidence level of the private sector and the administrative mechanism is weak. A situation has arisen in which the political leadership has to take risk to give impetus to the country’s development,” he reiterated.
Expressing concern over the situation in which people who are performing well in their works are having to give answers all around and those who are not performing well are becoming popular, Minister Pun said a tendency is institutionalized in the society to look at the politicians, bureaucrats and businessmen from the negative perspective.
“The country’s development cannot pick up speed unless someone is courageous enough to take the risk to break this mentality in society and to remove such situation,” he said and called on the political and bureaucratic leadership to muster courage for the same and on the rest of the society should support them.
On a different note, the Finance Minister stressed on the need of taking into consideration the economy, agriculture and the market while building infrastructure development projects. “We constructed the Mid-hills highway, but did not make the market and economic policy. We did not develop the production area. We have the East-West Postal Highway, but the population with highest poverty resides in its periphery. Such is our situation. This situation has come because the development infrastructures were not backed by the economic programmes,” he explained.
Stating that the report of the high-level tax reform recommendation committee is under study, Finance Minister Pun said the reform programmes would be brought through the budget and based on the commission’s recommendations.
He expressed that the government has created an environment conducive for investment by amending the associated Acts through an Ordinance coinciding with the Third Investment Summit which concluded recently. He added that the government is making efforts to infuse confidence in the private sector which comprises 90 per cent of the nation’s economy.
“It is the responsibility of the private sector to put in investment and create the employment opportunities. It is the government’s job to facilitate in that, carry out policy reforms and to provide the appropriate platform,” Finance Minister Pun observed.
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Election Commission submits by-election report to President
Kathmandu, May 2: Chief Election Commissioner Dinesh Kumar Thapaliya today submitted to President Ramchandra Paudel the ‘Report on the By-election to the Member of House of Representatives and the Province Assembly, 2081 BS’, along with the election results.
Chief Election Commissioner Thapaliya presented to the President the By-election, 2081 BS Report in accordance with the Clause 62 of the House of Representatives Member Election Act, 2074 BS, states a communiqué issued by spokesperson at the Office of the President, Shailaja Regmi Bhattarai.
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IT emerging and innovative tool for good governance, prosperity: Minister Sharma
Kathmandu, May 2: Minister for Communications and Information Technology, Rekha Sharma, has said the formulations of policies and laws and the development of physical infrastructure are in the progress to increase investment in information technology (IT) sector and make its use safe.
In her address to a programme organised to mark the 7th National Information and Communications Technology (ICT) Day here today, the Minister said the National Cyber Security Policy, 2080 has been issued first time aiming to make the cyber space secured and systematic.
“On the basis of the same policy, the National Cyber Security Center has been established. The formulation of the draft of the Information Technology and Cyber Security Bill is in the progress,” the Minister said, adding a review of the Telecommunications Act is underway to adjust it as per the demand of time.
According to the Minister, IT has now become a vital aspect in the campaign to build a prosperous Nepal along with the presence of good governance and social justice. The government Spokesperson appealed to one and all to cooperate with the government in efforts to find a path towards prosperity through IT innovations and its use.
With more innovations in IT sectors and expansion of IT services, its use has significantly soared in Nepal, she said, adding the application of an online system in the public service sector has increased.
As the government Spokesperson said, the government is focused on the expansion of telecommunications connectivity across the country, identifying it as a fundamental digital infrastructure when the government pursues a policy of promoting the digital payment system and accelerating its use with effectiveness.
According to the Minister, most parts of the country have now access to telecommunications services and most ward centers have access to broadband internet facility.
Lately, IT is seen as an emerging and innovative sector for an economic prosperity, she said. “As of today, we consider the promotion of agriculture, hydropower, and tourism areas instrumental for finding an economic prosperity, and now the IT has found its space in this list as a new and emerging sector.”
She pointed out the need of effective implementation of infrastructure sharing policy after reviewing it in order to end the dual investment at telecommunication infrastructure sector.
It was mandatory to established IT hub to make IT industry and increasing IT related service export systematic, stressed Minister Sharma.
The Communications Minister mentioned, “An environment for integrated mobilization of knowledge, skill and labour of capable human resources of IT sector and capital of investors within the country and abroad will be built if necessary infrastructures can be built in order to operating IT industry and startups from the same place to promote IT related service export.”
Underscoring the need of launching digital literacy and public awareness programmes across the country to make use of information technology safe, she explained, ” Though the world community has move a long way in the IT sector, there is still digital divide in Nepal. On the one hand, an access of all people to informational technology has to be established while on the other hand an environment has to be created where all citizens can use it in an equal manner. The government is serious and committed for the same.”
Similarly, Chairperson of Education, Health and Information Committee of House of Representatives, Ambar Bahadur Thapa, said the information technology has made daily life easier and has been playing significant role in country’s economic transformation.
“The use of information technology should be made broad in nation’s development, progress and prosperity. The government should pay attention to make IT as the basis of prosperity”, he shared.
Likewise, President of Federation of Nepalese Chambers of Commerce and Industry, Chandra Prasad Dhakal, explained that it was very important to keep IT sector as the sector of high potential for investment.
There is possibility of bringing in foreign currencies by exporting services by increasing infrastructures and investment in IT sector, he mentioned, stating the government should keep it at high priority.
Secretary at the Ministry of Communications and Information Technology, Ram Krishna Subedi, underlined that the use of IT was mandatory in work performance, education, health and research, adding life without ‘smart phone’ could not been imagined.
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