Impacts Of COVID-19 On Poverty Alleviation

Nepal’s decades of efforts to mitigate poverty has notched up remarkable success. In the past, the incidence of poverty in the country was horrendous. In 1995, the level of poverty in the country was put at 42 per cent, which was alarming. With constant efforts backed up by an improvement in key economic indicators, the level of poverty came down to 31 per cent in 2003 and to 25 per cent in 2010. The level of poverty further came down to 21.6 per cent in 2015. Now, the number of people living below...

Good Touch, Bad Touch

The lesson of body safety is an essential skill to be taught to children. The concept of good touch and bad touch helps children learn how to establish boundaries about their body from an early age. With the rise in incidences of child sexual abuse, this module of learning needs to be introduced to the school curriculum. Unless children speak out and adults listen to them, it is hard for an abuser to be identified. A simple one-hour lesson can save many children from being a victim to this heinous...

‘Hell’ In New Delhi

Going through the daily flow of inspired news planted by government agencies in India, this scribe recalls a less-than-pleasant encounter with Indian diplomats more than a generation ago.  They have not learnt much from history. Sometime in June 1989 when Nepal was reeling from the harsh economic blockade New Delhi imposed on it, Indian external affairs ministry’s spokesman Aftab Seth held one of his daily press briefings while the Shastri Bhawan canteen caterer served a glass of cold coffee at...

Why Nepal Is Exemplar Of Nutrition Movement

On September 1, Bill Gates, co-founder of Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation, in his blog, GatesNotes, write why some countries excel at saving lives. He further explains in a short video about the exemplary activities performed by Nepal to reduce stunting from 57 per cent in 2001 to 36 per cent in 2016. The credit, as per Gates, goes to few key interventions - investment in health system that increased births in health facilities, improved sanitation practices like open defecation free areas, thereby...

US Polls Matter

The United States is set to go to 59th quadrennial presidential election on November 3. The voters will elect the electors who in turn will vote on December 14 to either elect a new leadership or provide a mandate to continue the Trump administration. The entire nation will have the Electoral College with a total of 538 electors. A presidential candidate is required to gain at least 270 electoral votes to be the winner. Article two of the US Constitution has clearly defined criteria for a person...

NCP Govt Must Not Miss The Boat

In mid-February 2018, Nepal got the strongest government in decades. The newly unified Nepal Communist Party (NCP) pulled off sweeping victory in the historic elections in 2017 on the planks of stability, prosperity and nationalism. These poll slogans were music to the ears of voters fed up with decades of political turmoil, steep economic decline and nation’s eroding image. The NCP has commanded near two-thirds majority in the federal parliament and local governments, while leading governments...

Changing Mindset In Time Of COVID-19

It is a rare occasion that our thinking has been inundated with the threat of disease for so long in recent times. Too much of our attention is directed to the risk of illness. For about seven months, almost every newspaper has stories on the coronavirus pandemic, and radios and televisions have updates on the number of infected and latest death tolls. Social media platforms are overwhelmed with ever-increasing statistics, sometimes practical advice but also myths and falsification about the pandemic. We...

Follow The People

In the Western world, the kings and Churches fought against each other for centuries to usurp state powers and maintain their supremacy. The third president of the United States, Thomas Jefferson, wrote to the Danbury Baptists Association in England, ‘Believing with you that religion is a matter which lies solely between man and his God, that he owes account to none other for his faith or worship, that the legitimate powers of the government reach actions only, and not opinions. I contemplate...

Informal Polity Impairs Modern Institutions

Modern society is functionally varied with scores of institutionalised sub-systems. The quality of institutional design is vital to define the rules of the game for a variety of civic engagement. Formal polity imagines what David Easton calls “authoritative allocation of values for society” through modern institutions created to socialise the selfish genes and govern human conduct. The informal one is embedded in duty-based atavistic traits inherited from customary social norms, rituals and institutions....

COVID-19 Exacerbates Childhood Malnutrition

Over the past couple of months, the world has witnessed the emergence of the novel coronavirus (SARS‐CoV‐2) disease. In December last year, the Chinese city of Wuhan first reported the outbreak of COVID-19. The lethal virus spread progressively to other countries with the World Health Organisation (WHO) declaring it a global public health emergency. The pandemic has now become a global threat to humanity, with over 1,067,983 fatalities and millions of infected cases worldwide.

Rage Against Rape

It is now time to have a difficult conversation. It is now time to question ourselves and the people around us. It is now time to look at our surroundings. It is now time to call it out, and time to condemn and discourage the rape crime. When children just a few months old are getting raped, when fathers are raping daughters, when nieces have to fear their uncles, we have got to accept that the problem lies with the society. It may sound weird but rape is never just about rape. People are quick...

TU Teachers Feel Insecure

The other day an assistant professor at the Central Department of Sociology of Tribhuvan University (TU) was fatally attacked when he stood against the padlocking of the department. The miscreants hit Prem Bahadur Chalaune as he was going to the classroom. He was rushed to an intensive care unit of a hospital for the treatment. This violent act allegedly carried out by an organisation of students affiliated to opposition party took place a day after the country marked the World Teacher Day. The associations...

Ambitions Of Powerful Neighbours

Renewed conflict in South Caucasus is unraveling as Armenia and Azerbaijan have got engaged in fierce fighting. This is likely to escalate further owing to geopolitical compulsions. Both countries claim Nagorno-Karabakh as their contested territory.

Dashain In Virus Shadow

The COVID-19 pandemic has not only hindered our economic activities but also deprived us of an opportunity to run our day-to-day social life. Even when Dashain, the biggest Hindu festival, is now at hand, the whole country is in a dilemma of whether to continue with the age-old tradition or discard it in view of the existing contagion. There is no doubt that Dashain has been an important part of every Nepali considering its role in strengthening family and social bonds. It is not just about receiving...

CM Pokharel Shows Statesmanship

Finally, the State 5 got its name - Lumbini, and its capital is Bhalubang (Deukhuri valley) of Dang district. The State Assembly on 6 October endorsed the proposal of State government to establish its capital in Dang. During voting, 69 of 87 lawmakers voted for Bhalubang, 13 lawmakers voted against the motion. This is the first State, which decided to mo

Combating Corruption In Nepal

Commission for the Investigation of Abuse of Authority (CIAA) has received discursive attention and spotlight during the last fortnight. The anti-corruption body that exists for long in Nepal enjoys constitutional mandate. But, of late, it has been accused of rather choosing to look into petty and paltry cases of irregularities and bribery and turning a blind eye to the so-called scams in which high profile politicians and bureaucrats are reportedly suspected to be involved.

Go For Plasma Therapy

As the vaccine against the novel coronavirus is yet to be developed, health systems across the world have been trying various alternative methods for the treatment of COVID-19 patients. Coronavirus infections in Nepal, especially in the Kathmandu Valley, have been increasing rapidly in recent times, with hundreds of patients in critical health condition undergoing treatment in ICUs. In view of the rising number of virus cases, the Convalescent Plasma Therapy (CPT), one of the alternative treatments...

Heed Nature To Avoid Large Gatherings

With the advent of the cool weather and sunny days, the Dashain festival is in the air these days. In fact, we would be in the midst of Dashain celebration now had it not been for the Purusottam Month as per the lunar calendar. This is also known as Adhik Mas or Mal Mas. This is known as the extra month in the Hindu calendar which is inserted once in every 32 months to keep the lunar and solar calendars aligned. Astronomically Mal Mas is also known as the intercalary month. Purushottam is an epithet...

Consolidating Nepal-China Relations

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E-commerce Gets A Boost

While the economy is seeing downturns in most sectors, e-commerce is thriving in this time of pandemic. E-commerce signifies the buying or selling of goods or services through the online platforms and the consequent transactions of data and money on the internet. Even before the pandemic, there was a hefty growth on e-commerce which is now seeing profits on an immense scale. As social distancing is requisite to curb the coronavirus, people are relying on online shops to procure requirements. In...