PARSA: Around 195 people, injured in the devastating storm last Sunday, returned home after treatment from the hospitals of Birgunj.

The Parsa District Administration Office stated that the injured returned home after noticeable improvement in their health condition.

A total of 409 persons were undergoing treatment in various hospitals in Birgunj till Tuesday. Currently, some 212 injured are still in the hospitals receiving treatment, Netra Prasad Sharma, Assistant Chief District Officer informed.

On Sunday evening, a total of 122 houses were completely damaged while 387 houses were partially destroyed in the storm in Bara and Parsa.

KATHMANDU: Goods Transport Association of Nepal has announced to delivered the relief materials freely to the storm-hit districts of Bara and Parsa. Shyam Kumar Dangol, chairman of the association, urged all helping hands including the associations, individuals and donor agencies to coordinate with the Association for supplying the relief materials to the affected people. The coordination among all sides would ensure the supply from Kathmandu to Bara and Parsa in an effective manner, he added. The Association has also urged the people from various walks of life to assist from their respective side to the needy people.

SOLUKHUMBU: Chief Minister of State 1, Sherdhan Rai, has inaugurated the road linking Selleri to Khumbu Pasanglhamu-1 via Mapyadudhkoshi rural municipality.

Khumbu in Solukhumbu district is the gateway to Mt Everest.

Chief Minister Rai said the state government would make necessary arrangements of the required budget for the expansion of road from Khumbu Pasanglhamu rural municipality to Chaurikharka rural municipality.

Chief Minister Rai said the construction of the road would help promote tourism in the region.

On the occasion, he said the state government would declare the Khumbu Pasanglhamu rural municipality as ‘Tourism rural municipality’.

The rural municipality has been bringing in around 50,000 domestic and foreign tourists every year.

KATHMANDU: The Asian Development Bank (ADB) has estimated Nepal’s economy to grow at 6.2 percent in fiscal year 2019, and 6.3 percent in FY 2020.

In a statement today, the ADB Country Director for Nepal Mukhtor Khamudkhanov said that the outlook is for a stable growth on the back of strong domestic demand, fueled by a larger budget allocation to subnational governments and accelerated post-earthquake reconstruction.

The statement said that the agriculture sector is likely grow from 2.8 percent in FY2018 to 4.5 percent in FY2019, owing to a good monsoon that is expected to boost paddy production to 5.5 million tons, a rise of 8.4 percent from the previous year.

Similarly, the industry sector is expected to expand by 7.1 percent in FY2019 buoyed by improved power supply and efforts to improve the investment climate, according to the statement.

The services sector, the ADB statement said, will likely grow by 6.4 percent in FY2019 with the expansion of wholesale and retail trade, hotels and restaurants, and financial intermediation.

The update said the inflation is projected to rise to 4.4 percent in FY2019 from 4.2 percent in FY2018, partly reflecting somewhat higher inflation expected in India, stable oil prices, and higher government expenditures under the new federal structure.

Likewise, revenue collection, according to the statement, has primarily increased on higher import growth and an improvement of the tax system. The budget as of mid-January 2019 is in surplus by NRs173.3 billion owing to strong revenue growth and a marginal slowdown in recurrent expenses, it said.

Though capital expenditure has surged in the fiscal year through mid-February, its execution stands at only 22.5 percent, the ADB statement said.

This could again lead to a spending spree in the last month of the fiscal year, undermining the quality of capital projects, says the update.

With rising trade and current account deficit, Nepal increasingly faces the risk of external sector instability. Data to mid-February 2019 show that trade deficit has surpassed net invisible earnings, widening the current account deficit to $1.5 billion, marginally up from a deficit of $1.4 billion in the year earlier period. The current account deficit is projected to widen further to 9.3 percent of gross domestic product in FY2019, up from 8.2 percent a year earlier on increased imports of capital and consumer goods and services, notwithstanding a healthy growth of remittances and stable oil prices, according to the update.

“Challenges to smooth implementation of fiscal federalism and maintaining fiscal discipline at large could pose potential risks to the outlook. Nepal has the potential to achieve and sustain higher growth rate over a long period of time if these challenges are addressed,” Khamudkhanov said.

KATHMANDU: Chief Minister of Province 2 Lal Babu Raut has said his government will make every effort to ensure that all victims of Sunday’s devastating storm received necessary support, including relief, treatment and other necessities.

“We are working seriously towards that end, and will leave no stone unturned,” Chief Minister Raut told a press conference in Kathmandu today.

He said the Provincial government has formed a committee, which will collect data of the victims and those affected by the terrible storm that claimed the lives of some 27 people in Bara and Parsa districts.

Stating that the government is serious about rehabilitation of the victims, he said the Provincial 2 government has decided to build houses for the victims.

Chief Minister Raut appreciated the support from different quarters, including people from Kathmandu and elsewhere who have reached the storm-affected areas for volunteering.

In another context, Chief Minister Raut said minor differences between federal and province governments is not unusual. “However, it is high time that we changed our way of thinking,” he said adding that all differences with the federal government will be resolved gradually.

KATHMANDU: Minister for Communications and Information Technology, Gokul Prasad Baskota on Wednesday said Radio Nepal and Nepal Television will be merged to form Public Service Broadcasting (PSB).

He urged the employees of both the state-owned media to be mentally prepared for it.

Speaking on the occasion of Radio Nepal’s 69th anniversary, Minister Baskota said physical and legal preparations for the same have already begun. According to him, the PSB will work as an independent body.

He further hinted at the possibility of a ‘significant administrative change’ with both the media witnessing a drastic transformation in their history.

DANG: Nepali Congress President Sher Bahadur Deuba said he would contest the elections and become the next party president.

He expressed the confidence that he would become the party president once again. “I will contest the election in line with the party statute,” Deuba told a regional assembly at Ghorahi of Dang on Wednesday.

He went on the say that Nepali Congress belongs to all the communities, including women, Tharu, Madhesi, Dalit, among others.

On the occasion, he criticized the government for failing to work as per the people’s aspirations.

JANAKPURDHAM: Government of Province 2 has announced that it would construct a four-room house along with a toilet to each storm-affected family in Bara and Parsa districts.

The house will also include a toilet.

Minister for Internal Affairs and Law, Gyanendra Yadav informed the Provincial Assembly meeting in Janakpurdham today that the houses would be built within the next four months.

According to him, a total of 1040 houses, including 958 in Para and 122 in Parsa districts, have been damaged. Likewise, a total of 1,309 houses have been partially damaged, he informed the session.

The Assembly also passed a condolence motion on the deaths in the storm.

KATHMANDU: Nepal Police have arrested a total of 540 leaders and cadres of Netra Bikram Chand ‘Biplav’-led faction so far.

They have been arrested from different parts of the country so far from Mid-April 2018.

According to police spokesperson Uttam Raj Subedi, they have been arrested on the charge of their involvement in violent activities.

Likewise, police have also seized documents such as donation letter pads and other documents.

KATHMANDU: The Ministry of Home Affairs (MoHA) has instructed all district administrations to issue citizenship on the basis of descent.

The Home Ministry issued a statement today at a time when the proposal to amend the Citizenship Act is still sub judice at the Parliament.

The Home Ministry has cited the Supreme Court (SC)’s verdict to provide citizenship on the basis of a mother’s name and the Nepal Citizenship Act, 2006, Nepal Citizenship Rules, 2006 and the Citizenship Certificate Distribution Procedures Directives, 2006 to issue citizenship.

Stating that the orders were given since several people have been deprived of their right to acquire citizenship.