- Friday, 13 March 2026
The Rising Nepal
Pakistani actress Humaira's family refuses to claim her body
The sudden death of Pakistani actress and model Humaira Asghar Ali has sent shockwaves through the entertainment industry and ignited a broader conversation about loneliness, mental health, and dignity in death.
Russian drones damage a maternity hospital
A Russian drone barrage targeted the center of Kharkiv on Friday, injuring nine people and damaging a maternity hospital in Ukraine's second-largest city, officials said. Mothers with newborns
Laligurans Municipality to provide free education to 11 and 12 graders
Laligurans Municipality in Tehrathum district has decided not to enroll students in Class 11 at three of its secondary schools. Chief Administrative Officer Santosh Ghimir
Madhes declared drought-affected zone
After paddy transplantation was severely disrupted in lack of rainfall, the Madhes Province government has officially declared the entire region a drought-affected zone. A cabinet meeting of the provincial gove
New national demographic policy unveiled
By A Staff Reporter Kathmandu, July 11 Prime Minister KP Sharma Oli has said that human existence could be at risk if population growth does not go hand-in-hand with national development and prosperity. He urged people to marry in time and focus on having children. Speaking at the launch of the National Population Policy 2082, organised by the Ministry of Health and Population on the occasion of World Population Day on Friday, Prime Minister Oli said that the pace of development and population growth must be balanced. He emphasised that everyone should see raising children as a responsibility to the Earth. The policy was officially launched by Prime Minister Oli in the presence of Health and Population Minister Pradeep Paudel. “Human beings give meaning to every country and the Earth itself. Without people, there would be no country. We must take the right steps and adopt suitable policies to protect the existence and wellbeing of humanity,” the PM said. He added, “Human life is the most valuable creation. Those who kill others for personal gain should stop. There is no point holding discussions and seminars about population while continuing to build weapons of mass destruction. This contradiction threatens human survival. We must not let demographic imbalance continue.” Referring to the legal provision that allows marriage after the age of 20, the Prime Minister urged people to marry on time and have three children by the age of 30. “Do not get distracted by songs that say enjoy life after 40,” he said. He expressed concern that some awareness campaigns, like telling people not to hope for children who “cover the hills”, have had the opposite effect, leading to quite low birth rates. Pointing to negative population growth in the developed countries, he warned that even advanced nations are facing threats to human survival. Therefore, he stressed the need to implement this new policy to ensure proper population management. The country has launched a new national population policy, replacing the old one introduced in 2014. This new policy is all about using the country’s large youth population to boost the country's development. It also aims to create a better system for managing the population that fits with Nepal's overall goals for growth. The main idea is to guide the nation towards lasting success as its population changes. The new population policy launched on Friday addresses critical challenges facing the country’s population dynamics. With a current population of around 31.96 million, the country’s population is expected to grow by around 299,000 in 2025, reaching an estimated 32.1 million in 2026. According to the report, the median age of the population is 30.2 years in 2025, reflecting a youthful demographic. However, concerns about youth unemployment, which stood at 20.82 per cent in January 2024 and the increasing elderly population (up from 8.1% in 2011 to 10.2% in 2021 for those aged 60 and above) underline the urgency of strategic population management. The policy seeks to create a sensitive and responsive population management system integrated with broader development efforts. This includes reforming policies to balance fertility with population growth and integrating population concerns into all economic development aspects. The objective focuses on social justice and reproductive rights. It includes promoting gender equality and social inclusion, protecting the rights of children, and safeguarding reproductive rights. While over half of Nepal's population (51.1%) is female, the Gender Development Index (GDI) was 0.885 in 2022 (compared to 0.632 for males), indicating persistent gender disparities. The UNFPA Nepal Annual Report 2024 highlights efforts to improve sexual and reproductive health services, with significant supplies of family planning commodities and screenings for conditions like pelvic organ prolapse. The new policy directly confronts challenges such as ensuring equitable access to quality reproductive health, education and social security; realising the rights of gender and sexual minorities; and effectively utilising the potential of both youth and senior citizens. It also stresses the need to incorporate demographic indicators into all planning and programme development. Significantly, the policy supports the country’s ambitious goal of graduating from a Least Developed Country (LDC) to a middle-income country by 2026, the report said. Currently, 34 districts in the Himalayan region and 319 local levels are experiencing a negative population growth rate. See Page 6 Minister Paudel proposed a new policy to tackle these changing problems. His proposal was approved in the Cabinet meeting last Monday, leading to the announcement of this updated policy. This policy builds upon the earlier population policy introduced in 2014 (2071 BS) and addresses new challenges. It also aims to benefit from the growing number of young people in the country. The policy sets a goal to increase the current declining fertility rate from 1.94 to 2.1, which is considered a stable rate for population growth. It also aims to take advantage of the current large proportion of the population (61.9%) aged 15 to 59, which is seen as an opportunity to support economic growth. The policy highlights the need to plan based on the current population situation and encourages coordination among all three levels of government -- federal, provincial, and local. It proposes forming a National Population Steering and Coordination Committee under the leadership of the Minister for Health and Population, which will provide guidance and help manage population-related issues across all levels.
Pradip Rodan to recite ghazal in Damauli
Renowned ghazal poet Pradip Rodan, who has won the hearts of many by presenting his ghazals at various programmes both in Nepal and abroad, as well as on social media, is all set to perform in Damauli.
Subset Of Conflicts Linked To Global Powers
The Russia-Ukraine, India-Pakistan and Israel-Iran conflicts are subsets of larger geopolitical struggles shaping the dynamics of world politics. Geopolitical thinkers believe that China has emerged as a security, economic and technologica
Climate Change: Secret Driver Of Inflation
When it comes to the topic of climate change, extreme weather events, which have increased in frequency, intensity, and duration in recent years, come to mind. These events often dominate the discussions, overshadowing other subtl
Science Of Intuition
When was the last time you just knew something—without being able to explain why? Have you ever had a gut feeling that something wasn’t right, only to discover later that your instincts were spot-on? We’re often taught to distrust these feeli
Last-gasp Xhemaili fires Swiss into Euro 2025 quarters
Switzerland reached the quarter-finals of Women's Euro 2025 on Thursday after Riola Xhemaili struck with a stoppage time equaliser in a 1-1 draw with Finland. Xhemaili swept home
Fashion shopping goes online thriftily
Female fashion in Nepal has changed tremendously in recent years as women's choices have become versatile. With the growing number of designers and influencers, varieties have been visible in female fashion.
CIAA files another case against Sunil Paudel
The Commission for the Investigation of Abuse of Authority (CIAA) filed a corruption charge sheet against six individuals, including former Executive Director of the National Information Technology Centre (NITC), Sunil Paudel, and the World Distribution Nepal Pvt. Ltd. at the Special Court on Friday.
The Unknown Faces Of Chandra Shumsher
During his lifetime, Prime Minister Chandra Shumsher received prestigious British and scholarly distinctions, including GCB, GCSI, GCMG, GCVO, and FRGS. He was born in 1863 and died in 1929 and was the seventh prime minister of the Rana hier
Scaling Up The TB-Free Initiative
Tuberculosis (TB) is one of the world’s deadliest infectious diseases. TB is caused by the bacillus Mycobacterium tuberculosis, which is spread when people who are sick with TB expel bacteria into the air. About a quarter of the global populat
Culture Lives In Thamel
In the heart of Kathmandu, Thamel has become a symbol of Nepal’s tourism, buzzing with hotels, cafés, souvenir shops, and music. But beneath this commercial face lies a vibrant world of intangible cultural heritage, which continues to sha
