Rail And Relations

It goes without saying that Nepal and India have enjoyed cordial relations at political, economic and cultural levels since time immemorial. Nepal not only imports a lot of consumer and other goods from the southern neighbour but also utilises some of the Indian ports for international trade. With better road, railway and air connectivity and necessary institutional development, the trade relations between the two nations have been enhanced further. Inked in 2004, the Railway Services

Preserve Mythical Ponds

Some places are known for their cultural and spiritual values. They draw respect and admiration from a wide segment of population. Many people visit them to take inspirations and obtain spiritual bliss. Janakpur, also known as the capital of kingdom of Videhas, is a similar place of historic importance. Located in central Terai, Janakpur is now the temporary capital of Province 2 but its history goes back to thousands of years when it was centre of learning and enlightenment. During the reign of...

COVID-safe Classes

As the number of daily cases of COVID-19 has been declining recently, schools across the country are planning to resume physical classes. Some schools have already reopened for the physical presence of their students. A few days back, the federal government had formally asked the local governments to take stock of ground situation about COVID-9 and come up with appropriate decision on their own on resuming classes. Meanwhile, member countries of WHO South-East Asia Region, including Nepal

Boost Capital Spending

Notwithstanding the unprecedented impacts of the protracted COVID-19 pandemic on the overall national economy, the government is determined to achieve a seven per cent economic growth target set in its budget for the current fiscal year. In the past, most development projects would not be executed in a time-bound and effective manner owing to various lapses. The trend of spending capital budget was not so encouraging. The country was able to utilise only 64.69 per cent of Rs. 352.9 development budget...

Concern On Homicides

The birth of modern human from animals is perhaps the biggest biological evolution as this heralded human civilisation on the Earth. Humans became different from other creatures by virtue of their sharp brain, discerning consciousness and emotional intelligence. Over the millennia, they developed inherent qualities – rationality, wisdom, morality, compassion, love, cooperation and solidarity, which are essential to foster collective existence, peace and prosperity. Although the long civilisational...

Revised Budget Focuses On Economic Recovery

Amid the opposition's uproar, the finance minister Friday presented a revised national budget for the current fiscal year in the House of Representatives, which saw a downsizing in the budget, unveiled earlier by the erstwhile KP Sharma Oli-led government. The current government felt it necessar

Boosting Investment

As Nepal is bracing for graduating to a middle-income country and achieving Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) by 2030, the nation now needs to focus on implementing a variety of development projects by mobilising domestic as well as foreign investments. These goals can be met only by making great strides in the economic, social and ecological sectors. No doubt, the country offers a lot of opportunities for investors to invest. Some of the potential areas of investment include energy, communication...

Tasks Before Parliament

Fresh sessions of both the Houses of federal parliament – the House of Representatives (HoR) and National Assembly - kicked off on Wednesday. The Parliament Secretariat has already published 32-point potential business schedule for the meetings of Lower and Upper Houses. The parliament has now many important tasks to be dealt with in earnest. The House sessions followed some crucial political developments associated with the consolidation of federal democratic system. It will see the presence of...

Civil Service Efficiency

The 18th Civil Service Day was marked across the country on Tuesday. It is celebrated annually on Bhadra 22 since 2061 BS. The Day is marked on Bhadra 22 on commemorate the first Civil Service Act as it was introduced on Bhadra 22 in 2013 BS. The country began celebr

Curb Human Trafficking

Human trafficking has been one of the major social problems facing Nepal, with many people being trafficked to different countries for various purposes every year. Traffickers bait the vulnerable persons for making profits by engaging them in the forced labour and commercial sex. The poor and unemployed people who are hoping for a better life and have an unstable family life are more vulnerable to trafficking than others. The perpetrators are often found promising a high-paying job, a lovin

BFIs Reflect Gender Parity

With the continuous political changes and expanded economic activities, Nepal has witnessed enhanced gender parity and women’s empowerment. Successive governments have adopted political, legal and constitutional measures to empower women in almost all sectors of the society. Such policy interventions are premised on the philosophy that women empowerment is the key to the socio-economic transformations because women comprise more than 50 per cent of population. Sustainable and equitable development...

NC Conventions Start

After a lengthy delay, the ruling Nepali Congress (NC), which will be holding its general convention in November this year, kicked off its ward-level convention in many districts. The ruling party, which has around 800,000 active members, had faced uncertainties over the conv

Women’s Trade Fair

In the face of the protracted COVID-19 pandemic, efforts have been underway to revive Nepal’s economy. The government and the private sector have started collaborating with each other to keep the economy running. The Ministry of Finance is now busy revising the budget introduced through ordinance by the previous government. The present coalition government aims to give a boost to the national economy by introducing various policy measures. In its monetary policy for the f

Implement Report On Dhami’s Disappearance

The other day government made public the report on the disappearance of Jayasingh Dhami in the Mahakali River. The much-awaited report has disclosed that the incident had taken place in the presence of the Indian Border Security Force (IBSF). Dhami, 33, from Khangdang Mal of Byas Rural Municipality-2 in Darchula fell into the Mahakali on July 30 as he was crossing the river using the wire crossing known as tuin. The report has recommended that the government take diplomatic initiati

Reducing Risks Of Monsoon Disasters

The country is currently facing natural disasters like floods, landslides and inundations triggered by monsoon rains. The rain disasters occurring in different parts of the country have caused losses of numerous lives and property this year right from the onset of the monsoon season. As many as one hundred 87 people died and 38 others are missing due to the floods and landslides across the country between mid-April and the end of August. During the period, altogether 2,058 households have been badly...

COVID Vaccine Efficacy

It is notable that Nepal has witnessed a significant fall in the number of new COVID-19 infections on a daily basis over the past couple of weeks, with the vaccination drive against this fatal viral disease going on well. On Sunday, the country recorded 1,388 new cases of which 1,214 were detected through PCR tests while 2,260 patients recovered. This shows that the number of people recovering from the virus has been on the rise. This is certainly a positive signal. The active COVID-19 ca

Man-Animal Conflict

The conflict between people and wild animals has perhaps begun since the earliest phase of human evolution. Scientific studies show that humans developed their physical ability to walk on two legs four million years ago. As they originated from animal species, their first homes were dense forests, mountains and caves. So there was a time when both creatures relied on forests as their common shelter and sources of life. They competed for the shared natural resources, affecting human food security...

Avert Rain-caused Disasters

Having a rugged topography, Nepal is a natural disaster-prone country that experiences calamities of different shapes and sizes, especially during rainy seasons. The rain-triggered disasters, which cause damage to lives and properties, are a common sight. Besides killing many every year, the monsoon-borne disasters damage highways, river embankments, bridges and power transmission lines, among others, fully or partially incurring huge losses to the government coffers. They also pose a great difficulty...

The Reconstruction Goal

The reconstruction of private homes and public structures such as schools and health facilities in dozens of quake-hit districts has been going on in a smooth manner despite the continuous spread of the COVID-19 pandemic and political instability in the country. Founded on December 25, 2015 in the wake of the devastating Gorkha Earthquake, the National Reconstruction Authority (NRA) initially had a five-year term to carry out the challenging task of crucial reconstruction. Based on the concept of...

Door Open For Unification

In an open and democratic system, it is common to establish new political parties considered the agents of change. The political parties carry the divergent ideas, values and cultures in a given society. They run on the basis of common principle and programmes. As long as the leaders and cadres hold unanimous viewpoint on the burning social and political issues, they stick together and operate their parties smoothly. But, when they clash on key policies and strategy adopted to fix the political and...