- Tuesday, 2 September 2025
Modnath Dhakal
It's Not Holiday!
Every time the government moves to implement its new decision, some stakeholders disobey it while the state-run corporations dither and delay on enforcing it, turning the much-hyped announcement into a fiasco. The government’s decision to implement a two-day holiday on weekend in public and private offices has met the similar fate. The two-day holiday provision was also introduced twice earlier but it fell through. Civil servants even evaded their office duty when some public agencies worked on two shifts to maintain physical distancing during COVID-19.
Industrial innovation still a far cry
While the world was under the grip of COVID-19 pandemic and it was putting its efforts to develop vaccines and other medicines to prevent the contagion, Deurali Janta Pharmaceutical (DJPL) in Nepal had begun research for the development of a vaccine against the coronavirus. But the government processes in research and development, and procurement of biochemicals and consulting service from abroad posed so many hurdles that the company abandoned the activity mid-way.
Growth, balanced development are budget priorities
The government has announced that the budget of the coming fiscal year 2022/23 would give priority to 10 sectors including agriculture, industry, infrastructure including energy, tourism, social security and climate change. Industrial development and promotion of private sector, revival of tourism, utilising the demographic dividend, international relations and partnership, and climate change and disaster management will also be the foundation of the next year's budget.
Inflation up, remittance inflow better: NRB
Despite various measures adopted by the Nepal Rastra Bank (NRB) and the government to control imports of goods and discourage expenses on luxury items, the current account deficit has widened by Rs. 49.78 billion in a month from mid-March to mid-April 2022. The current account remained at a deficit of Rs. 512.71 billion by mid-April compared to a deficit of Rs. 462.93 billion in mid-March, according to the 'Current macroeconomic and financial situation' report of the NRB. Report of the first nine months of the current fiscal year 2021/22 was published on Wednesday. Such deficit was Rs. 210.51 billion in the same period of the previous year 2020/21. The current account deficit was in upward trend that year as well, it widened by Rs. 59.09 billion in a month from mid-March to
NAST IT-bus to reach every district
The Nepal Academy of Science and Technology (NAST) is planning to move the Mobile Information Access Centre (MIAC) for a month each to every district across the country. The first-ever Mobile Information Access Centre available in the country is developed by the NAST with the support from the Korean government and launched at the CAN Infotech 2022, organised last month in Kathmandu. The facility is a mobile bus. The technology bus will move to the districts especially in the rural areas to empower people with the training and hands on experience on the latest development of information and communication technology (ICT).
Media Credibility During Elections
Elections are a testing time for media and journalism. While the media has the responsibility to provide fair coverage of the election process and electoral management and impart news, information and ideas on the issues of public interest, the public has the right, in democracy, to receive such information. Likewise, elections draw the maximum media attention among all political activities for about a month.
