KATHMANDU: A meeting of National Development Council (NDC) has started at Soaltee Crowne Plaza in the capital to give a final touch to the Draft Approach Paper on the 15th plan prepared by the National Planning Commission. Chaired by Prime Minister KP Sharma Oli, the NDC meeting will take place for two days.
Deputy prime ministers, ministers, main opposition party leader, chief minsters of all seven provinces, chairmen of thematic committees of the federal parliament, representatives of private sectors and experts are participating in the meeting.
The Commission has prepared the Draft Approach Paper on the 15th Plan in line with the goal of ‘Prosperous Nepal, Happy Nepali’ envisioned by the government.
The Draft Approach Paper will be unveiled incorporating comments and suggestions provided by the NDC meeting by the second week of April.
The country will be made prosperous by harnessing the immense potential of agriculture, energy, minerals and tourism, reads the draft paper.
In the 25-year-long-term-plan draft, the country will lay foundation for the prosperity in five years and intensify development works in the remaining 10 years, says the draft.
KATHMANDU: The estimated cost of the under-construction fast-track that connects the Kathmandu Valley and Tarai-Madhes has climbed to Rs 2 trillion. It will take around two years to complete the project, a report in Kantipur daily said.
According to the Detailed Project Report (DPR) recently submitted by Korean construction company Susurung, the total cost for fast-tract construction would reach Rs 2 trillion and take two more years to complete the project, a high level Nepali Army source said.
Earlier, Indian company IL and FS had projected Rs 112 billion as the estimated cost for the remaining construction of the fast-tract, which is less by 88 billion than the estimated cost projected by the Korean company.
Yam Prasad Dhakal, spokesperson of Nepal Army, said that the DPR has been sent to the Council of Ministers through the Ministry of Defense for approval.
Nepal Army has been constructing the fast-track which is 72.8 kilometers.
GENEVA: The World Trade Organization (WTO) has forecasted that the global trade growth in 2019 will be lower compared it with the last year.
The organization forecasted the decline citing widespread tension and economic uncertainty.
The WTO had initially estimated a 3.7 percent expansion of trade for this year, but has revised that down to 2.6 percent, marking a decline on the three-percent growth recorded in 2018.
KATHMANDU: Qatar’s ambassador to Nepal Yousuf Bin Mohamed Ahmed Al- Hail on Tuesday paid a courtesy call on Minister for Water Supply Bina Magar at the latter’s office in Singha Durbar.
During the meet, they discussed on exporting drinking water to Qatar from Nepal. Minister Magar briefed the envoy that the Ministry was doing necessary homework to export drinking water.
‘I am more focused on exporting spring water utilizing the water sources. It would be better if Qatar government co-works on that. I am thrilled,’ she said.
In reply, the envoy said that Qatar can be a good market for Nepal’s spring water.
KATHMANDU: Malaysia government is making preparations to deport 600,000 Bangladeshi nationals illegally taking refuge at different Malaysian companies.
Only 400,000 among 1 million Bangladeshi workers are legally working in Malaysia, Malaysian news portal The Star quoted Malaysian lawmaker Israfil Alam as saying in its news.
Lawmaker Alam said Malaysian government would send foreign migrant workers illegally working in the country. Malaysian government has been sending illegal foreign migrants time and again.
With the announcement to deport a huge number of Bangladeshi nationals, the government has hinted that it would recruit a huge number of Nepali workers in the days ahead.
According to an official at the Nepali Embassy in Malaysia, the Malaysian government has assured of taking 80,000 to 100,000 Nepali workers within three months.
Malays has stopped taking Nepali migrant workers since the last 10 months.
KATHMANDU: The Federation of Nepalese Chamber of Commerce and Industry (FNCCI) will be donating relief material worth Rs five million to the victims hit by the devastating windstorm.
A meeting of the leading organization of private sector on Monday also decided to appeal FNCCI Chapters in State 2 to carry out rescue and relief.
At least 27 persons were killed and over 500 were injured following the calamity that hit Bara and Parsa districts on Sunday night.
KATHMANDU: Tribhuvan International Airport (TIA) will remain closed for 10 hours starting Monday. Nepal’s only one international airport is going to be closed due to its runway up-gradation, reported Nagarik daily.
It will remain closed from Monday 10 pm until 8 am Tuesday and so on until the repair work will be over.
According to TIA sources, the runaway repair will be over by May 28 and that the airport will open as usual from May 29.
The TIA, which had been constructed in 1997, has a 3,000-meter-long runaway.
KATHMANDU: As many as 91 thousand 4 hundred and 20 youths have have filled out forms for Korean Language Test under the Employment System as of Sunday evening, the largest number ever since 2007.
The number may even go higher as the the deadline for application was until Sunday midnight (12 am).
Of the total applicants, 62 thousand 8 hundred and nineteen have have applied for service sector while 28 thousand 6 hundred and one have applied for agriculture, according to Shobhakar Bhandari, spokesperson for EPS, Korea section under the Department of Foreign Employment.
KATHMANDU: Federation of Contractors’ Association of Nepal (FCAN) and Myanmar Licensed Contractors Association (MLCA) today signed a memorandum of understanding (MoU) to move ahead in collaboration for infrastructure development.
The FCAN and MLCA signed the MoU during the concluding ceremony of Nepal Investment Summit 2019.
DUBAI: Saudi Arabia said it plans to issue 118 billion riyals ($31.5 billion) in debt this year.
This has been aimed at helping finance the national budget deficit, the country’s Debt Management Office (DMO) said.
Media reports say the country has borrowed extensively over the past few years to refill state coffers exhausted by a drop in oil prices.
Reports said at the end of 2018, Saudi Arabia had around $150 billion in outstanding government debt of which 54 percent was in local currency and the rest denominated in U.S. dollars.
The country issued $7.5 billion in international bonds in January.
By the end of 2019, Saudi Arabia has planned to have around $181 billion in outstanding debt, media reports said. (Agencies)