- Thursday, 4 September 2025
Modnath Dhakal
Govt worried over low revenue collection
The government has failed to raise the revenue collection even more than two months since the expenditures surpassed its income by the end of the first trimester of the current fiscal year 2022/23. Collected revenue is no
Pokhara Int'l Airport inauguration today
The Pokhara International Airport (PIA) is coming into operation from Sunday, the first day of the New Year 2023. Prime Minister Puspa Kamal Dahal Prachanda will inaugurate the aviation infrastructure in the lake city which is the capital of Gandaki province as well. Construction of the national pride project in Chhinedanda, 3km east of existing Pokhara Domestic Airport, of Pokhara Metropolitan City in Kaski district was com
41% population covered under life insurance
The Nepal Insurance Authority (NIA) has selected the proposals of seven micro-insurance companies that applied for the license to operate service in difference provinces across the country.
Cement industry seeks support to boost demand, export
Citing the growing production and decreasing demands in the domestic market owing to the sluggish development and construction, President of Cement Manufacturers Association (CMA) of Nepal, Dhruba Thapa, has urged the government and stakeholders to create a favourable environment for increasing the export and consumption of cement.
Export diversification remains a far cry
Nepal's export trade is more concentrated to India and the United States of America over the period of five years – from 2017/18 to 2022/23. There were six destination countries for Nepal's top 20 exports in the first three months of 2017/18 which has shrunk to half in the same period of 2022/23.
Capital expenditure less than 7% in four months
Although there has been a slight improvement in the mobilisation of the development budget this year compared with that of the last year, the government could spend less than 7 per cent of the capital budget of Rs. 380.3 billion.
Parties stress ‘balanced, equal’ foreign policies in manifestos
Major political parties have promised in their manifestos that they would maintain a 'balanced' and 'equal' foreign policy with all friendly nations.
Party manifestoes laced with unrealistic claims to lure voters
Political parties in Nepal don’t seem to have learnt from the past experiences in election and have continued with the ‘baseless’ and 'ambitious' plans and commitments in their election manifestoe
Biratnagar industries see whopping rise in production costs
More than 29 per cent industrialists in the eastern industrial city, Biratnagar, said that the production cost per unit has increased unnaturally – by more than 75 per cent – due to national and international factors.
New urban policy in offing
The Ministry of Urban Development (MoUD) has finalised a new urban policy and sent it to the Cabinet for the approval. The new policy has included measures to address climate change, urban resilience and Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) apart from the regular issues of infrastructure development, waste management and social services such as health and education.
NRNA calls to amend foreign investment laws
The Non-Resident Nepali Association (NRNA) has urged the government to implement the non-resident Nepali citizenship provision at the earliest and amend the foreign investment related laws to remove the ceiling on the Foreign Direct Investment (FDI).
Lax monitoring breeds ‘anarchism’ in cooperatives
Nine years ago in 2013, Oriental Cooperative embezzled the depositors’ money to the tune of Rs. 6.86 billion. Approximately, Rs. 11.41 billion fund deposited at the organisation was at risk and its chairman, Sudhir Basnet, had used t 60 per cent of the money by himself. He had invested the money in various housing and real estate projects. Likewise, Guna Saving and Credit Cooperative was also fell into problem then. Responding to the public outcry, the government in October 2013 had formed a commission to investigate the problematic cooperative organisations dealing in savings and credits. By May 2014, the commission led by Gauri Bahadur Karki, former Chairman of the Special Court, received 22,170 complaints from 12,962 individuals against 162 cooperatives. The total claim was Rs. 10.08 billion including Rs. 2.40 billion interests on the deposits.
Branding local liquor can boost tourism, expand economy
Nepal imports alcoholic beverages worth more than Rs. 1.5 billion a year. However, illegal import and gifts could increase the amount. Meanwhile, 'Chyang' touted as indigenous alcohol is being imported from China and South Korea. But producing alcohol other than for religious and domestic purposes is illegal in the country. Nepal police destroys millions of litres of home-made liquor every year in Nepal. For example, it destroyed 10,000 litres of illegal alcohol and 80,000 litres raw materials in Gadhimai Municipality in Bara district. According to the police, it had seized the items from various houses and taverns in Ward No. 3 and 10 of the municipality. Interestingly, police found concrete underground tanks with the capacity of about 12,000 litres especially made to store liquor at a house there.
Govt, private sector sign deal to build economy worth $100 bn by 2030
In a rare event in Nepal's private sector history, the Federation of Nepalese Chambers of Commerce and Industry (FNCCI) has succeeded in getting endorsement of the government for its Nepal Economic Transformation (NET) 2030 – a vision of national development for this decade. The business body and the Ministry of Industry, Commerce and Supplies signed a Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) on Thursday to implement the Vision 2030. Hailed as the government-private sector partnership, this would bring together the two pillars of the economy together at a platform to achieve the target to build an economy worth US$100 billion by the end of 2030 and lead it to a middle-income country.
China agrees to expedite development projects in Nepal
China and Nepal have agreed to expedite the implementation of China-assisted projects in Nepal. The former has assured the Nepal that China will soon start the construction works of the second phase of Kathmandu Ring Road Improvement Project, the Embassy of Nepal in Beijing said in a statement issued Wednesday evening.
