KATHMANDU: Four people were killed after a gas cylinder went off in an eatery nearby Shivashree Hydropower Project at Bhotekoshi Rural Municipality-4 in Sindhupalchowk district on Monday.
Police are yet to ascertain the identities of the deceased.
According to the District Police Office, Sindhupalchwok, all the deceased were the laborers. A team of police led by Police Inspector Yadav Thapa Chettri has set out for the accident site from the Area Police Office, Bahrabishe.
Shivashree Hydropower Project outgoing office-bearer Umesh Kasaju shared that they heard about the human causalities in gas cylinder explosion but they could not determine the exact number of the deceased ones.
He explained, “We have received the news about the explosion and the casualties. We have not been able to establish telephone communications with the people in the project site as it is in a remote place.”
KALIKOT: Police have arrested a man while he was hurling a bomb targeting a police van.
Police took hold of Dhaniram Shahi, 34, of Tilagufa Municipality- 6 while he was throwing the bomb targeting a police van mobilized for the security of SEE exam at Khadachakra-5, Rata Dab on Monday.
Preliminary investigation suggests that the arrestee is a cadre of Netra Bikram Chand Biplav outfit, said Nepal Police Spokesperson SSP Uttamraj Subedi.
Police said that are further investigating the case.
KATHMANDU: Property of late King Birendra and his family is being leased out in far less amount, thanks to the mismanagement on part of the Office of the Nepal Trust.
The Trust now has a property of total 532 ropanis of land in 12 districts. It has 2, 30,102 units of shares in the share market. Similarly, the Trust has a cash deposit of over Rs.380 million. It also has a cash deposit of pound sterling 48,466 and USD 1, 37,000 at various banks.
Nepal Trust Act, section 5 stipulates that the property under it should be utilized for greater public benefit and in contributing towards national interest, and in the sectors of education and health.
However, the Trust lacks any plans or vision on the utilization of huge property belonging to the former royal family, now under it.
Section 25 of the Act entitles the Trust to formulate regulations on the use of the fixed assets. The Trust has not yet enacted any regulations.
A report by the Office of the Auditor General (OAG) states that the Trust is unable to utilize the property belonging to the late King.
“The Trust does not have an updated record of the persons leasing the property, and the rent levied in lieu of the rented property,” said Bishnu Prasad Rijal, spokesperson at OAG.
Kathmandu Business Park is located in Teku, one of the commercial hubs of the capital city. Several structures stand on the leased land. However, its monthly lease amount comes to a mere Rs. 333,000 which is very cheap given the existing rate in the area. A similar calculation shows that the monthly rates of other leased property at other places within the capital are quite nominal.
The Trust has been leasing out the property of the late king and his family members at rates far cheaper to the prevalent market price. This is reflected in the list below.
KATHMANDU: The Constitutional Council (CC) has appointed Dinesh Kumar Thapaliya, Secretary at Ministry of Federal Affairs and General Administration, as the Chief Election Commissioner (CEC) of the Election Commission Nepal.
The post was vacant after Chief Commissioner Ayodhi Prasad Yadav retired from the post on Sunday. Its member Ilama Sharma also retired on the same day.
The Election Commission has a team of five members including the chief. Narendra Dahal, Ishwori Prasad Paudyal and Sudhir Shah are the sitting members of the commission.
KATHMANDU: The government of Nepal is set to present a total of 66 projects ranging from Rs 640 million to Rs 350 billion for investment during the Nepal Investment Summit 2019 to be held in Kathmandu from March 29-30.
The government has recognized eight energy-based big projects for achieving prosperity. Energy, physical infrastructure, agriculture, information technology, industry, health and education and tourism are the areas of the special focus for investment.
Nalgadh Hydropower Project; AR-6; Sunkoshi II and III; Tamor Water Reservoir Project; West Seti; Lower Arun; and SR-6 have been listed as projects for joint-venture.
According to the Nepal Investment Board, the list of projects worth Rs 3.1 trillion was finalized this Sunday. The Board owns up the responsibility of coordinating the summit. The Board will inform the summit about latest progress about the 456-megawatt Upper Tamakoshi Hydroelectricity Project.
This time, investors will be provided a complete package about projects, instead of sharing information only on theoretical aspects as the government is determined to make it a promising one. This summit will be different from the past one, Board CEO Maha Prasad Adhikari said.
Prime Minister KP Oli has been invited for the inauguration of the summit. Similarly, ministers of different ministries and industrialists would brief about Nepal’s recent situation and investment environment.
The Federal Parliament has passed the Public-Private Partnership and Investment Bill with an objective of creating easy and smooth environment to foreign investors. Similarly, the Federal Parliament has already passed Bill to amend and integrate laws related to foreign investment and technology transfer, Bill designed to amend Special Economic Zone Act-2073.
Projects like East-West Electric Rail, Kathmandu-Pokhara Railway, Kathmandu Metro Rail and Gautam Buddha International Maternity Hospital would be presented as ‘showcase’ in the summit.
Similarly, projects–Trishuli Galchhi, Upper Chameliya, Myagdi Khola are also the attractive projects. Service would be provided to investors through single point at the Investment Board with an objective of providing easy service to them.
A total of 173 billion in foreign investment has been brought in within seven months of the current fiscal year.
CHITWAN: Senior leader of Nepal Communist Party, Madhav Kumar Nepal today said the state should initiate action in the face of challenged posed by group.
The state is not a helpless entity, he said at a program in Chitwan.
The former Prime Minister Nepal termed the government’s move to bring CK Raut to mainstream politics.
On the occasion, Nepal further stated that all disgruntled sides should be brought into confidence. “The government should call them for talks,” he said.
BIRATNAGAR: Deputy Prime Minister and Minister for Defense, Ishwor Pokhrel said the army will be mobilized only with the decision of the National Security Council.
Talking to journalists at Biratnagar Airport on Monday, Minister Pokhrel said the army can be mobilized only after the President approves a proposal brought by the Prime Minister in the capacity of the Chair of the Council and endorsed by the meeting of the Council of Ministers, if the Council’s meeting cannot take place.
He added that such a proposal has to be approved by the House of Representatives (HoR) a month after the army mobilization. Minister Pokhrel further maintained that it would be wrong to say that the Prime Minister can alone mobilize the army.
On the occasion, he said talks would be held with the Biplav-led faction only if it abandoned arms. “The government will not hold talks with a faction raising arms,” he said.
KATHMANDU: The Meteorological Forecasting Division has forecast light and moderate rainfall in most parts of the country, including in Kathmandu this evening.
This has been attributed to the influence of the Westerly winds. The Division said there is a possibility of intermittent to light rain accompanied by thunder in the western region as well as in the hilly region.
The influence of the Westerly wind will be seen in the western region, Meteorologist Ganga Nagarkoti said adding that the weather in the central and eastern region will be gradually affected in the evening
According to Nagarkoti, the hilly areas will remain generally cloudy.
KATHMANDU: Nepal and Japan signed a memorandum of cooperation (MOC) on a basic framework for hiring “specified skilled workers” on Monday.
Joint Secretary at the Minister for Labor, Employment and Social Security Ram Prasad Ghimire and Japanese Ambassador to Nepal Masamichi Saigo signed the MOC at a program in the capital.
With the agreement, the process of hiring Nepali workers will begin from April 1.
The Japan government will open Japanese Information Center in the capital like the EPS Korean Section established by by Korean government in Nepal.
The ministry has expected that this job will comparatively be more impartial and lucrative as the Nepali workers will enjoy pay perks and other benefits on a par with the Japanese citizens.
Manpower agencies will not be involved in the process. Nepali workers will be supplied to Japan through the government mechanism.
Japan has prioritized four sectors in the first phase – health, industry, caregiver and agriculture sector.
KATHMANDU: Prime Minister KP Sharma Oli has said the government will bring the fiscal budget of the year 2019/20 in line with the federal set-up.
Speaking at a parliament meeting in New Baneshwar on Monday, Prime Minister Oli said the government is preparing to bring the upcoming fiscal budget to address the needs of the three tiers of governments – federal, provincial and local.
He further said that the government is also working on a long-term vision, aimed at transforming the country into a developed nation by 2043.
“The government is preparing to introduce a 25th -Year-Plan starting 2076 BS to 2100 BS for the development and prosperity of country,” said Prime Minister Oli.