- Thursday, 4 December 2025
The Rising Nepal
Prudence In Imports
Nepali economy has been grappling with numerous problems and challenges, including a fall in foreign exchange reserves, in the post-COVID scenario. The pandemic has hit almost all the sectors of the national economy. The remittance sector that is the biggest source of foreign exchange earnings of the country has remained affected. Tourism is considered to be the second largest sector to contribute to foreign currencies. As a fragile sector, tourism was in the doldrums following the outbreak of the pandemic. This sector, however, has begun bouncing back with a remarkable drop in COVID-19 infections. If tourism keeps on reviving, it may help bolster foreign exchange reserves. However, Nepal’s economy, which is mostly import-based, has continued to witness a widening trade imbalance as the country has to pay a lot of foreign exchanges for goods and services. The government, however, has adopted some urgent measures to reduce trade deficit and shore up foreign currency reserves.
Local Polls Deepen Democracy
It might be worthwhile to quote Abraham Lincoln’s famous political statement, “Government of the people, by the people, for the people, shall not perish from the earth,” at a time when local elections are going to be held on May 13 throughout the country. It looks like Lincoln’s statement is as relevant in today’s world as it was uttered in Lincoln’s time in the American situation. As a matter of fact, people themselves are their own government. The representatives are chosen only for people’s convenience for work, as we know it is impossible to hold meetings and decide things in a crowd of a large number of people.
NIGHT SKY IN MAY 2022 Pre-dawn Rendezvous Of Major Planets
This month's night skies exhibit the exquisite elegance of major planets during their pre-dawn rendezvous in the eastern sky. The elusive planet Mercury and the far-flung planet Uranus will stay out of sight for most of the month. They would be scurrying near the sun and cavorting with the stars of Taurus (bull) and Aries (ram). Venus and Jupiter could be viewed at dawn in the eastern sky among the stars of Pisces (fishes) until sunup. The blue planet Neptune could be perceived very succinctly in the eastern sky after the middle of the month, as it would be mingling with the stars of Pisces.
Manage Pashupati Pilgrims Properly
On my way back home, I came across a very weird scene, the other day. Right outside the premises of Pashupatinath Temple, a lot of washed clothes were being hung on railings installed along the footpath. Not just this, the cloth owners seemed to have tried their best to hang some of the garments on branches of trees. Apparently, the clothes belong to pilgrims who visit the temple for worshipping. This is a common tendency among budget travellers. Most often these tr
Reversing Chure encroachment difficult
The management of forests in the Chure and National Forest areas in Rautahat has become a difficult task as landless and homeless people are staying there for many years and government agencies are facing a hard time removing them from the area. Although the President-Chure Tarai Madhes Conservation Development Committee has been conducting various programmes for the conservation of the Chure, the task of clearing the encroached areas has become a herculean task.
Home Minister inspects Gautam Buddha Int’l Airport
By Our Correspondent Bhairahawa, May 5: Minister for Home Affairs Bal Krishna Khand Wednesday inspected the Gautam Buddha International Airport (GBIA) following its successful test flight. Home Minister Khand, who arrived in Rupandehi on Tuesday, inspected the airport on Wednesday. During the inspection, Minister Khand was briefed by airport officials on international flight preparations. Arriving at the airport on Wednesday morning, he was briefed about the operational and administrative functions of the airport and flight safety, said Anup KC, acting chief of the airport immigration office.The first international flight is being prepared at the airport on the occasion of Buddha Jayanti on May 16. According to KC, the head of the immigration office, Jazeera Airlines has agreed to make its first flight.Minister Khand also inquired about the preparations for immigration, arrival and departure at the airport. During the inspection, Minister Khand questioned the employees of the Immigration Office whether they could work in the present situation after beginning of the international flight. In response, the employees told the Minister that they were fully prepared to handle all the aeronautical operations. He returned to Kathmandu on Wednesday and left for Biratnagar in the afternoon to attend the provincial level security committee meeting in Province 1.
‘Amber suffered from PTSD due to Depp’s physical abuse’
A psychologist has told jurours that actress Amber Heard suffered from post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD) due to physical and sexual abuse at the hands of former husband and Hollywood star Johnny Depp. Dawn Hughes testified on Tuesday that she had diagnosed Heard after examining her for 29 hours and reviewing therapy records and that she had concluded that Depp engaged in a “high degree of violence”, reports `Variety`.
Ruling coalition unveils joint manifesto for Butwal
A five-party ruling alliance has unveiled their joint manifesto for Butwal Sub-Metropolitan City, with a commitment to make Butwal liveable. Organising a press meet on Wednesday, the ruling coalition has unveiled the manifesto expressing their commitment to unite for the development of Butwal. The manifesto was jointly unveiled by the mayoral candidates of Nepali Congress Khel Raj Pandey, CPN (Maoist Centre) deputy mayoral candidate Chin Bahadur Gurung, central member of Janata Samajwadi Party Kamal Khanal, leaders of CPN (Maoist Centre) – Dr. Bal Krishna Chapagain, Raju Gurung, Mahendra Bhusal – and leader of Rastriya Janamorcha Party Padam Shrestha.
Nepal’s economy cannot be compared to Sri Lanka: Dr Wagle
Former Vice-Chairperson of National Planning Commission (NPC) Dr Swarnim Wagle has asserted that Nepal’s economy cannot be compared with the Sri Lankan one. At an interaction organized by Society of Economic Journalists-Nepal (SEJON) on ‘Future Direction of Nepali Economy’ here on Wednesday, he claimed that Nepal has not witnessed the situation of economic crisis as Sri Lanka was facing. He however stressed the need to maintain fiscal discipline so as to mobilize all indicators of the economy in the right manner.
‘It’s high time to manage import’
Experts have suggested the government to immediately resort to import management techniques to address the current pressure on foreign exchange and promote domestic industries. “There is a need to adopt import management techniques like countervailing, tariff and non-tariff measures as well as quality control for foreign goods being imported to Nepal,” said former secretary of government of Nepal, Chandra Kumar Ghimire at an interaction on export-based industry and foreign exchange, organised by Nepal Association of Financial Journalists (NAFIJ) on Wednesday.
Govt, WB sign US$150M loan agreement
The government of Nepal and the World Bank signed a US$150 million ‘Finance for Growth’ Development Policy Credit (DPC) on Wednesday to strengthen financial sector stability, diversify financial solutions, and increase access to financial services in Nepal. Finance Secretary Madhu Kumar Marasini and World Bank Country Director for Maldives, Nepal, and Sri Lanka Faris Hadad-Zervos signed an agreement on behalf of their respective institutions.
Poll campaign up in Mangalsen
Candidates who have registered their nominations in the local level elections have started reaching the farms in the villages asking for votes. Candidates have intensified their election campaign by urging people to vote for them.
Private schools start new academic session
The Ministry of Education, Science and Technology had issued a circular last month asking all schools across the country to conduct final examinations and publish results of last academic session by mid-May and start new academic session after that.
'Unnatural price rise in the market due to anarchy of traders'
Stakeholders said that consumers, traders and market monitoring bodies should fulfill their duties and responsibilities effectively to make the market clean and effective. They made this remark while speaking at an interaction on 'Rising Prices and Market Monitoring During the Election' organised in Kathmandu Wednesday. Consumer Rights Activist and president of the National Consumer Forum Prem Lal Maharjan said that the prices of goods have been soaring in the market over the months owing to the anarchism of businessmen and traders.
CNI demands implementation of decade for domestic goods production and consumption
The Confederation of Nepalese Industries (CNI) has proposed to the government to implement the decade of 2022/23 to 2032/33 as the decade of production and consumption of domestic goods. Presenting suggestions for the upcoming fiscal budget and economic policy for the coming fiscal year 2022/23, the Confederation has suggested the government to formulate the policy in such a way that it can make big changes in high economic growth, investment expansion and employment generation. Presenting suggestions on behalf of the Confederation, CNI President Vishnu Kumar Agrawal urged the government to address some of the problems in the Nepali economy. He said that industrialisation, export promotion and import substitution, quality physical infrastructure and project management, balance of payments management and investment growth are the main problems.
