KATHMANDU: Minister for Foreign Affairs Pradeep Gyawali has said Nepal enjoys cordial and friendly relations with its neighbors. He added that Nepal has have strengthened trust, goodwill and expanded the scope of cooperation and economic partnership with India and China, Nepal’s two immediate neighbors.
Speaking at a program organized by Nepal Council of World Affairs in Kathmandu today, Minister Gyawali maintained that Nepal is currently striving to achieve economic development and prosperity.
He went on to say that Nepal has mobilized diplomatic apparatus to pursue the objectives. The government aims at promoting foreign direct investment, tourism, technology transfer, and export trade, he added.
Minister Gyawali further stated that Nepal’s foreign policy aims at safeguarding sovereignty, territorial integrity, independence and protection of national interest. “Within this framework, promoting Nepal’s credentials as an open and progressive democratic State at the international level; and pursuit of effective economic diplomacy to the service of overarching objective of “Prosperous Nepal, Happy Nepali” remain twin goals of our external engagements,” he said.
On the occasion, he said that Nepal’s unflinching commitment to human rights and fundamental freedoms will be stronger with political and economic empowerment of the people.
KATHMANDU: Minister for Education, Science and Technology, Giriraj Mani Pokhrel today said the government has upgraded the physical infrastructure of the community schools. The minister also informed that the government has hiked the teachers’ perks and facilities.
Responding to queries at the House of Representatives (HoR) today, he said required action has been taken in cooperation with social development ministers of all provinces.
He also stated that the universities have been instructed to forge a consensus to hold the election of the Free Students Union by April 13.
Likewise, Minister for Energy, Water Resources and Irrigation Barshaman Pun informed that work has been forwarded to construct a reservoir-type power project using the water from Rupatal and Begnastal lakes in Kaski district.
Minister Pun also stated that the Nepal Electricity Authority was working to complete the study and survey on the project by the end of fiscal year 2076/77 BS.
On the occasion, he said that an agreement has been reached with Bangadesh regarding exporting the power.
KATHMANDU: Chief District Officer (CDO) of Bara district, Ganesh Prasad Bhattarai, who had sustained critical injuries in a road accident on January 26, passed away.
CDO Bhattarai succumbed to his injuries while undergoing treatment at the TU Teaching Hospital, Maharajgunj. He was returning home from Sarlahi after a picnic program on a jeep bearing registration number Na 1 Jha 1633, when it met with an accident.
SP of the Armed Police Force, Balaram Pokharel died on the spot in the accident.
KATHMANDU: The taskforce formed to suggest organizational unification of Nepal Communist Party Nepal (NCP) submitted its report to the party Secretariat today.
The party’s standing committee had on December 27, 2018, constituted a nine-member taskforce under coordination of party leader Ram Bahadur Thapa.
According to NCP Spokesperson Narayankaji Shrestha, the party has begun discussions on the report. The next meeting of the secretariat scheduled on February 21 will continue to discuss the report.
He maintained that the meeting will take necessary decisions by settling the issues of organizational unity.
KATHMANDU: The Office of the Attorney General today submitted the annual report for fiscal year 2017/18 to President Bidya Devi Bhandari.
Attorney General Agni Prasad Kharel submitted the report about the tasks carried out by the Office of the Attorney General and its subordinate bodies – the Offices of Government Attorneys – in the fiscal year 2017/18 to the President.
According to the report, there were 29 thousand 230 cases in which the government was the plaintiff and 58 thousand 539 cases in which it is the defendant in this fiscal year.
The report has been submitted at a program organized at the Office of the President at Shital Niwas in accordance with Article 159 (1) of the constitution.
The report incorporates the details of the works carried out by the Office and its subordinate public prosecutors, among others.
According to the report, there were 29 thousand 230 cases in which the government was the plaintiff and 58 thousand 539 cases in which it is the defendant in this fiscal year.
Likewise, the number of cases, writs or applications in which the Office and its subordinate Government Attorney Offices had defended in support of has been put at 80,077.
Similarly, the number of cases defended by the Office, among the cases registered in which the government is either the plaintiff or defendant, has been put at 65,527, which is 7.57 per cent more compared to the last fiscal year.
LONDON: British lawmakers have demanded that Facebook should be subject to a compulsory code of ethics to confront the spread of fake news.
The UK parliament’s Digital, Culture, Media and Sport Committee said that Facebook and other big tech companies had been ineffective in stopping damaging content and disinformation on their platforms, according to agencies.
A report of the committee said Facebook chief executive Mark Zuckerberg as a leader failed to take personal responsibility.
Committee Chairman Damian Collins said that the guiding principle of the ‘move fast and break things’ culture often seems to be that it is better to apologize than ask permission.”
He demanded radical shift in the balance of power between the platforms and the users saying that the age of inadequate self-regulation has to end.
RATNANAGAR: Considered rare species of crocodiles, conservation of the Gharial crocodile has become challenging in recent times.
The Chitwan National Park (CNP) has established a crocodile breeding center at Kasara with an aim to conserve and protect these rare species.
However, although the Park has been protecting the Gharial crocodiles at the breeding center, the number of these species has not increased thanks to the pollution in the rivers and the excavation of sand and pebbles in the rivers.
He said it requires approximately one million rupees to bring up a Gharial baby for five years. Although we have been releasing the crocodiles in the rivers every year their number has not increased.
The CNP has been releasing more than 150 Gharial crocodiles annually in the Rapti, Narayani and Babai rivers for the last five years. A total of 1,300 crocodiles in these rivers have been released so far, according to CNP.
According to Ved Bahadur Khadka, Assistant Conservation Officer at the CNP, the crocodile breeding center has been collecting crocodile eggs at vulnerable spots in the Rapti and Narayani rivers.
He said it requires approximately one million rupees to bring up a Gharial baby for five years. Although we have been releasing the crocodiles in the rivers every year their number has not increased.
Meanwhile, the crocodiles are at times swept away by flood towards India while several of them are killed after being trapped in nets laid out by fishermen.
According to CNP, four crocodiles died after being trapped in net till February 12, 2019 from mid-August 2018.
Chief Conservation Officer at Chitwan National Park, Ved Prasad Dhakal, has warned that the Gharial crocodile would disappear if the activities and water pollution are not checked.
BIRATNAGAR: Province 1 is observing the 69th Democracy Day for three days starting today.
It has formed a 501-member main committee under the chairmanship of Chief Minister Sherdhan Rai to celebrate the Day.
As part of the celebration, several programs such as illumination at government offices, industrial centers, and educational institutions, rallies among others would be organized in the Province, according to Minister for Internal Affairs and Law Hikmat Kumar Karki.
GAIGHAT: Deputy Prime Minister Ishwor Pokharel has said that the government was working out to resolve disputes regarding the rights and jurisdiction of all the three governments.
He said the government would soon clear the confusion. On the occasion, he claimed that the government was making its efforts to materialize the agendas committed to the public during the elections.
Speaking at a program in Gaighat today, Minister Pokharel said that the government was committed to ensuring security to the people.
KATHMANDU: President Bidya Devi Bhandari has appointed Durga Prasad Bhandari as the Residential Ambassador to Kuwait.
The President appointed Bhandari as per Article 282 of the Constitution of Nepal on the recommendation of the Council of Ministers, a statement issued by the Office of the President today said.