KATHMANDU: Nayapatrika daily has highlighted that a CT Scan machine donated by India has been gathering dust at the National Trauma Center. It was brought to the Center from India three years ago. According to Dr Binod Sherchan, director at the hospital, it has not been brought into operation due to lack of room, says the report.

Similarly, the daily has also reported that Deputy Mayor of Fungling Municipality of Taplejung district Bam Bahadur Bhattarai has returned Rs 96,000 he had received in salary under the topic of his cook. Bhattarai had appointed his own wife to the post of a cook on July 17, 2018 and been receiving Rs 15, 590 per month.

The government has identified eight significant regions and prioritized them as the means of achieving the goal of ‘Prosperous Nepal and Happy Nepali’ envisioned by it, reported Rajdhani daily. According to the report, these regions include transport, hydro,  communication and information technology, forest, quality manpower, tourism, urbanization, prioritizing economy of provincial and local units among others.

Similarly, Annapurna daily has reported that the Kurtha-Jayanagar railway service has been uncertain due to lack of sufficient budget despite assurances the government has been making to the Nepali people about railways in every region of the country.

The Civil Aviation Authority of Nepal has banned the paragliders from taking slow flights in Pokhara following the deaths of two people in four paragliding accidents in the last three days  reported The Himalayan Times.

Meanwhile, the Inland Revenue Department has filed a case at the district court against 24 business firms, accusing them of evading taxes amounting to Rs 1.75 billion while the investigation is underway on 16 other companies, reported Kantipur daily.

KATHMANDU: Every flight taken by dignitaries to Pathbhara Temple has been a precariously life-threatening, let alone the recent one that claimed seven people including late Tourism Minister Rabindra Adhikari, Kantipur daily reported on Tuesday. A preliminary study has shown that the accident occurred due to inimical weather.

Earlier, on October 27, 2017, President Bidya Devi Bhandari had visited the temple by helicopter. The pilot had to make an emergency landing at Suketar due to bad weather and wait for an hour until the weather cleared.

Flights to Pathibhara taken by highly-placed dignitaries in the past had always been scary due to bad weather, says the report.

Similarly, Nepal and Japan are making preparations to finalize the formalities required for the migration of Nepali workers to Japan within March, The Kathmandu Post reported. Both the countries have expedited the process following positive discussions, said an official at the Ministry of Labor, Employment and Social Security.

Cadres of Nepal Communist Party led by Netra Bikram Chand alias Biplav are walking free as the police have no arrest orders  from the Ministry of Home Affairs, Republica daily reported.

The security officials have been keeping a close tab and updating  whereabouts of Biplav’s cadres after the party took responsibility for the bomb explosions in different parts of the country including the one at Nakhkhu, Lalitpur, in which a civilian was killed and two were injured.

Likewise, Annapurna daily has highlighted the grievances of  local representatives over the central government’s intervention in their rights as laid down in the federal constitution.

They have been expressing dissatisfaction saying that the central government is acting against the spirit of the federalism while enacting laws.

KATHMANDU: As soon as  Nepal LP Gas Industry Association made its protest programs public, traders have started creating an artificial shortage of LP Gas in the market, Kantipur daily reported on Monday.

According to the report, the gas industrialists have not taken the product delivery order (PDO) to bring cooking gas from India since Friday.

The association is upping the ante demanding a hike in commission and profits. However, the concerned district administration office is mum on this issue despite retaining powers to take action against those industries, persons and firms violating the existing rules.

Similarly, the Oli-led government has spent over Rs 2 billion in foreign junkets and donation in a year, Nagarik daily reported.  It has also prioritized various species of rhododendrons that bloom majestically in hill districts of Nepal.

According to the report, a total of 31 species of rhododendrons are available in Tehrathum, Sankhuwasbha, and Taplejung districts of Province 1.

There are as many as 82 offices of Facebook in 35 countries, according to a report of Naya Patrika daily. Similarly, the Google has been operating from 78 cities of 40 countries. They have been registered officially and been paying taxes to the respective governments. However, in Nepal, no offices of Facebook and Google have been registered so far, despite their growing popularity and considerable number of users.

A new Bill on Information Technology, aimed at regulating information technology development and its promotion, is sub-judice in the parliament, which, experts say, could stifle innovation in the country’s nascent but growing information technology sector, says the report.

Likewise, the Commission for the Investigation of Abuse of Authority (CIAA) is mulling to deploy spies disguised as service seekers to jam-packed government offices in a bid to control corruption.

Annapurna daily has reported that the United States of America has decided to donate two sky cargo trucks (cargo airbus). They will arrive by the end of 2019. America had donated four sky cargo trucks 15 years ago to Nepal Army.

In its front page, Naya Patrika has presented an analytical news story on financial irregularities by local bodies. Among other forms of corruptions it reports how the representatives of local bodies are  by obtaining upto rs. 15,000 from the state coffers daily as allowance under various pretexts. It also reports the demise of Bharat Adhikari, a senior leader of the Nepal Communist Party (NCP).

It also covers a story that Nepal is likely to start importing petroleum products from India through pipeline within this April/May.

Preparations are on to procure Information Technology (IT) equipment for the ‘War Room’ of the prime minister’s office writes Nagarik daily on its front page.  The war room is meant for monitoring the activities of big projects under construction in the country under various ministries. However, Asgar Ali, the IT specialist of the Prime Minister, KP Sharma Oli is readying to procure the equipment in a non-transparent manner. The front page also mentions of the demise of the NCP Senior leader, Bharat Mohan Adhikari.

Crusher and lime stone industries are operating illegally at Chhatredeurali area of Dhunibesi Municipality-1, within the Shiwapuri-Nagarjun National Park area, writes Kantipur daily on its front page. These industries are operating for years encroaching the national park forest area. Yet there has been no action against them. It also reports the demise of the NCP Senior leader, Bharat Mohan Adhikari saying that the popular leader who had introduced the social security system of elderly allowance in the country is now no more. Similarly, on its front page, Kantipur reports that Kist Medical College in Kathmandu has been charging fees higher than the one decided by the government and the Tribhuvan University.

Annapurna Post has presented an analytical story on the front page mentioning how the political parties of the country have differences on national interest but are united when it comes to fulfilling their party interests. It presents examples of how the parties heading the government and the opposition are united over the national issues of: irregularities involving wide body procurement, regarding the formulation of laws on fundamental rights, conflict (Maoist insurgency and the state) related cases and the issue of corruption by the former CIAA commissioner, Raj Narayan Pathak.

Besides covering the death of the NCP leader Bharat Mohan Adhikari, the paper in its front page writes that Nepal now has access to eight sea ports including in Inidia and China. They are: Haldia, Bishakhapatanam, Dharma and Mundra sea ports of India; and Tiyanajin, Liyanyunga, Senzen and Zhanjiyang sea ports of China.

Identifying the bodies of those dead in the chopper crash was challenging writes Rajdhani daily on its front page. The daily also covers the news on how the residents at the village of the deceased minister, Adhikari are grief stricken at Jamunebot, Pokhara – 33.  Similarly, the paper also mentions that serious question is raised on the investments by international and national non government organizations in the county since there has not been a follow up of over Rs 100 they spent in the fiscal year 2017/2018.

Naya Patrika daily has featured an analytical story on the dissolution of the task force formed for party unification by the Nepal Communist Party (NCP), few days ago. On its front page, the paper also covers the issue of India and Pakistan mentioning how the tension still persists though the chance of a war is thinning. The paper also mentions that Nepali young girls in Iraq are sold for up to 2,000 USD.

The main news on the front page of Kantipur daily revolves around the background, rescue operation and postmortem procedures of the victims on the chopper crash accident.

KATHMANDU: The tragic accident of Air Dynasty chopper crash in Taplejung district on Wednesday has hit the headlines of daily newspapers today. The Himalayan Times has reported that Minister for Culture, Tourism and Civil Aviation Rabindra Adhikari and six others died on the spot when an Air Dynasty chopper crashed near Pathibhara area of Taplejung district yesterday.

Under the headline, ‘Rising star of Nepali politics no more,’ THT has written that the death of Tourism Minister Adhikari has cast a pall of gloom in his hometown Pokhara. Adhikari had played a significant role in the tourism development, construction of rural roads and conservation of lakes such a Phewa, Begnas and Rupa.

Gorkhapatra daily has also prioritized Air Dynasty chopper crash in today’s edition. Seven people including Tourism Minister Rabindra Adhikari died when the ill-fated chopper crashed near Pathibhara area in Taplejung district, Gorkhapatra reported. The daily has also highlighted formation a probe committee into the accident. Meanwhile, the government has marked national mourning day today in tribute to the chopper crash victims. President, Prime Minister and leaders have expressed deep sorrow over the tragic incident.

Similarly, Naya Patrika daily has highlighted the accident of chopper crash, escalated tension between Pakistan and India as well as the strike being staged by the cooking LP Gas industrialists. Nepal has urged both the neighbors to exercise maximum restraints. The stakeholders have said that if the war were escalated, it would affect Nepal too, especially in its exports and imports sector. Meanwhile, the LP Gas industrialists have staged a strike to pile pressure on the government, seeking commission.

Likewise Karobar daily has highlighted Mauritius and Japan as the major labor destinations in terms of income and implementation of Belt and Road Initiatives to connect Nepal with the entire world. It has also included the Air Dynasty chopper crash in today’s edition.

KATHMANDU: The health insurance scheme recently introduced by the government has been ineffective in Karnali Province, a report in Rajdhani daily has said.

Speaking at a meeting of the House of Representatives in New Baneshwar on Tueday, Lawmaker Rajendra Mahat said the health insurance has not been effective in Karnali Province due to lack of awareness of the people.

Mahat also complained that the state is still treating Karnali people as ‘ second-class’ people and added that they are not taking advantage of the health insurance introduced by the government, says the report.

KATHMANDU: President of the Nepali Congress Sher Bahadur Deuba backed off from his decision to form a disciplinary committee following the warning from the senior leaders Ram Chandra Poudel and Krishna Prasad Sitaula, Naya Patrika daily reported.

A Central Working Committee meeting had been called to decide on the formation of the disciplinary committee on Tuesday. However the meeting was postponed indefinitely.

Deuba was planning to form the committee under the coordination of Bhismaraj Angdembe, according to the report.

KATHMANDU: Kantipur daily has highlighted the ongoing tension between India and Pakistan. India has claimed to have killed 300 terrorists in a surgical attack carried on a terrorist camp in Balkot, a town in the Khyber Pakhtunkhwa province in Pakistan,  on Tuesday.

According to the report, a group of 12 Mirage 2000 jets of Indian Air Force dropped 1,000 kilograms of bombs on the major terrorist camp and destroyed it completely.

The attack comes 12 days after Pakistan-based terror group JeM carried out the deadly attack in Pulwama which left 40 Indian soldiers dead.

KATHMANDU: The fate of many national construction projects have been on hold due to the lack of monitoring by the government, Nagarik daily has reported.

A recent study made by the Commission for the Investigation of Abuse of Authority (CIAA) on the government-run construction projects shows that contractors have taken Rs 23 billion in advance from the government for the construction of the projects but have not stated their works yet.

As per the existing rules,  the government has to provide some certain percent of money in advance to the contractors to mobilize them.