DOLAKHA: National pride project, Upper Tamakoshi Hydropower (456 MW) will be completed within mid-December, according to Barsha Man Pun, minister for energy, water resources and irrigation.
The minister made the announcement in briefing the press today following his inspection visit of the project site. Officials with the hydro project confirmed that almost 98 percent of the construction works of the project is over.
The Minister had obtained information about the project’s progress from the Project Chief, Dinesh Jung Rana and Chief Executive Officer, Bigyan Shrestha. He stayed at the project site for about three hours and observed the construction works.
“We have serious concern in this project as it is a very important project. I have focused all my attention towards completing the project in time. I am confident of the project’s completion within the stipulated time frame,” he said.
He added that this project has proved that Nepalis are themselves capable of constructing big projects by mobilizing indigenous labour, skills and capital.
The Energy Minister described the project as an important model project of Nepal.
KATHMANDU: Nepal is not participating in the Boao Forum for Asia (BFA), which is held every year in Hunan Province of China.
The BFA is scheduled to begin from Tuesday this year.
Nepal is not going to participate in Boao Summit this time since it was not invited by China this time.
“Nepal is not prepared for Boao Summit this year,” said Shanker Das Bairagi, secretary at the ministry of Foreign Affairs.
Former Nepali monarchs used to take part in the summit at the invitation of Chinese government. China stopped sending invitation following the People’s Movement in 2006.
However, it resumed invitation to Nepal after Sushil Koirala took charge as the prime minister.
The BFA is a non-profit organization that hosts high-level forums for leaders from governments, business and academia in Asia to share their views on the burning issues in this continent.
SURKHET: The business communities have proposed that Banke and Bardiya districts be merged into Karnali State. Surkhet and Kohalpur Chamber of Commerce and Industry (CCI) have argued that the merger would boost economic development of the state.
Speaking at an interaction program in Birendranagar, Dhan Bahadur Raut, President of Surkhet said the state carving has distanced mutual relations between Banke, Bardiya and Karnali districts. He viewed that the integration process would not be possible without political support. “Political leaders should take initiatives in this regard,” he claimed.
Besides business, Raut also pointed out the cultural and social relations among Banke, Bardiya and Surkhet. Likewise, Narendra Sharma, member of the Federation of Nepalese Chamber of Commerce and Industry of state 5 urged all sections of the society to raise their voice in this regard.
NANJING: Latest 30 years are the warmest period for the past 2,000-year period, due to the effect of anthropogenic greenhouse gas, concludes a study by Chinese and American scientists.
The scientists were able to read the well-dated and quantitative air temperature record through the research on a sediment core collected at a small lake in subtropical southwest China’s Yunnan Province.
The report on the research was published on the March issue of the international journal of Earth and Planetary Science Letters.
The research was carried out by the State Key Laboratory of Lake Science and Environment under the Chinese Academy of Sciences and Columbia University.
In the past 2,000 years, Earth’s climate system has transitioned from being forced solely by natural factors to also being forced by anthropogenic greenhouse gases.
However, previous to the research, many existing climate records only extend back approximately 1,000 years in some continents.
The sediment samples from Tiancai Lake, located some 4,000 meters above sea level, keep the 2,000-year-long record. The sediment has not been affected by human activities and can reflect multi-centennial-scale temperature fluctuations.
Zhao Cheng, a member of the research team, said the high-altitude region is sensitive to climate changes. Solar radiation and volcanic activities used to be major natural factors affecting the climate. However, during the latter half of the 20th Century, anthropogenic greenhouse gas has become a major cause of the temperature rise.
(Agencies)
KATHMANDU: Various visa related complications have deterred foreign nationals into investing in Nepal, according to a study revealed at a program by the Institute for Strategic and Socio-Economic Research (ISSR) at the Pavilion Hall, Durbarmarg today.
Dr. Govinda Nepal presented a paper on issues involving complications on visa procedures faced by foreign investors at the program.
He presented a number of visa related problems that foreign investors other than Indian nationals face in Nepal. Of the problems, he noted that visa procedure is long, tedious and complex.
The procedure involves a lot of paper work requiring one to sign documents as many as 32-38 times. Besides, the rules and acts governing visa are unclear thereby confusing a stakeholder and delaying the visa procedure, according to Dr. Nepal who is also the Acting Chairperson of Pavilion Group.
Another major issue facing visa issue is the time length. While the minimum time period involved in visa processing is 6 weeks, the maximum time for the same is 32 weeks.
Likewise, complexity surrounding visa has complicated the recruitment of skilled employees (by 100 percent) thereby adversely affecting the investment decision, said Dr. Nepal.
Dr. Nepal suggested among many other measures, in shorting out the visa related problems by initiating online visa processing system and a one window policy in issuing visa and work permits.
“The government will definitely consider these issues and work towards easing visa issuance procedures through coordination among concerned ministries,” remarked Gokarna Bista, Minister for Labor, Employment and Social Security.
1. BETO O’ROURKE ANNOUNCES 2020 WHITE HOUSE BID
The former Texas congressman ends months of speculation over whether he’d try to translate his newfound political celebrity into a Democratic presidential bid.
2. WHO IS HANDLING ETHIOPIAN AIRLINES’ BLACK BOX PROBE
The French air accident investigation authority, or BEA, says it will handle the analysis of the flight data and cockpit voice recorders retrieved from the crash site.
3. UK LAWMAKERS SET FOR ANOTHER BIG BREXIT VOTE
With “no deal” off the table, parliament will now decide whether to delay Britain’s departure from the EU as Theresa May struggles to overcome further erosion of her authority.
4. CHARITY USED IN FRAUDULENT COLLEGE DONATIONS
Prosecutors and tax documents say the mastermind of a college admissions scandal set up a charity that funneled money from wealthy parents to bribe coaches and others to get their children into elite universities.
5. GOP SENATORS APPEAR READY TO BLOCK TRUMP BORDER DECLARATION
The breakdown of a compromise effort appears to be pushing the Senate toward a vote in favor of blocking the president’s emergency declaration at the Mexican border.
6. US IMMIGRATION AGENTS FIND WAYS AROUND ‘SANCTUARY’ POLICIES
Despite laws that shield immigrants from deportation, federal authorities are still getting back-channel cooperation from some local law enforcement agencies.
7. MALAYSIA WON’T DROP CASE AGAINST VIETNAMESE IN KIM JONG NAM KILLING
The murder case will proceed against Doan Thi Huong, accused in the killing of North Korean leader Kim Jong Un’s estranged half brother.
8. CUBA PLANS GOVERNMENT OVERHAUL
Havana is about to launch a sweeping makeover of its communist system with dozens of new laws that could reshape everything from criminal justice to the market economy.
9. ‘BOMB CYCLONE’ STORM BARRELS TOWARD MIDWEST
National Guard troops are rescuing stranded drivers in Colorado in the wake of a massive late-winter storm that is expected to unleash heavy rain and snow on the Midwest plains.
10. R. KELLY’S SEX VIDEOS HAVE BEEN AROUND FOR YEARS
Sex videos like those that have been integral to the criminal cases against the R&B star have been circulating across the nation since the 1990s.
(Agencies)
KATHMANDU: Almost 76 percent of the youths heading for foreign unemployment are unskilled, reveals a study by the Ministry of Labor, Employment and Social Security.
Though the government aims at ending compulsive out migration for work in coming five years over 40,000 Nepali youths leave the country for foreign employment every month, according to the statistics maintained by the Department of Foreign Employment.
While around 5, 30,000 Nepali left for foreign employment in the past 25 years, only 2.5 percent of them were skilled, 21.5 percent of them were semi-skilled and 75 percent of them were unskilled.
“The country is suffering a great loss in its inability to develop skilled human resources and create job opportunities in the country,” said Mahesh Dahal the Department of Foreign Employment. Nepali youths have been migrating for work abroad, mostly as unskilled workers for the past three decades.
Devastating earthquake in 2015 caused damage in the agricultural and industrial sector. As such, many youths employed in these sectors are forced to go for abroad employment, according to a survey by the Ministry of Industry, Commerce and Supplies.
Even the returnees are found migrating by obtaining labor permit as unskilled workers. “Government’s inattention towards exporting skilled manpower is unfortunate. This has caused loss to the workers themselves and the nation,” said Madhubishal Pandit, an expert on foreign employment.
Number of workers going for foreign employment is on the rise since the fiscal year 2006/2007. Around 1,00,000 Nepali youths left for foreign employment in the seven months of the current fiscal year alone. However, this figure is low compared to the number of youths going abroad by obtaining labor permit last year.
KATHMANDU: Discussion on the amendment proposal on ‘Public Private Partnership and Investment Bill-2075’ is underway at the House of Representatives. The government floated the bill with the objective of expediting infrastructure development.
The proposal is registered to widen sphere of the Investment Board Nepal (IBN). This new bill has been brought after the Investment Board Act-2068 BS proved ineffective in practice.
The new bill sets the target to enhance economic growth by mobilizing capital of above Rs 6 billion through public-private partnership concept. It is necessary to mobilize Rs 150 billion to achieve economic growth rate up to nine per cent, according to a source at the Ministry of Finance. Private sector has the capacity to mobilize Rs 100 billion in recent period.
In the meeting, Finance Minister, Dr Yuba Raj Khatiwada said that the new bill has been brought to further broaden the parameter and scope of the Investment Board for achieving economic prosperity through the development of infrastructure. He added that the bill will pave the way for making investment for the development of infrastructure by means of private capital.
Stating that it was necessary to invest in mega projects for achieving high economic growth rate, the Finance Minister believed that the private sector would not be affected because of the foreign investment.
Lawmaker Janardan Sharma said that the government needs to identify large projects and invest in them through the Investment Board, stressing the works to be carried out by the Board should be done through inter-ministry coordination.
Lawmakers Divya Mani Rajbhandari and Gagan Kumar Thapa demanded that leaders of the main opposition parties should be included in the Board. Similarly, lawmakers Bhara Kumar Shaha, Rekha Sharma, Santa Kumar Tharu, Chudamani Khadka, Khem Lohani, Bina Kumari Shrestha and Prem Suwal called for broadening the scope of the Investment Board.
Kathmandu: Government in cooperation with an international body is launching a program towards restoring the health of forests in some districts.
The project named, ‘Catalyzing Ecosystem Restoration for Climate Resilient Natural Capital and Rural Livelihoods in Degraded Forests and Rangelands of Nepal (EbA 2)’ is launched in Achham, Salyan and Dolakha districts. Forest cover in these districts are vulnerable to the impacts of climate change.
The project is a joint work of the Ministry of Forests and Environment and the Global Environment Fund. The four-year project has a fund of approximately Rs 550 million.
The project will contribute towards the conservation of bio-diversity, restoration of ecosystem and support livelihood, among others, according to the Ministry.
Speaking at a workshop of the project here today, Minister for Forests and Environment, Shakti Bahadur Basnet said that the project will create employment at the local level and will contribute to poverty reduction through livelihood supports.
KATHMANDU: Over seven hundred foreign employment agencies across the country are halting their works today to protest the bomb blast at the house of a foreign employment agency operator last Friday.
Netra Bikram Chand led Nepal Communist Party (NCP) has claimed the responsibility of the bomb blast at the house of Rohan Gurung, the chairman of Nepal Association of Foreign Employment Agencies (NAFEA) last Friday evening. Youth Group Nepal, an organization affiliated with the Chanda led NCP had claimed the responsibility of the incident issuing a press release last Saturday evening.
A powerful bomb blast at the garage of Gurung’s house had left four people injured. Cadres of the Chand’s NCP had demanded money from Gurung as a donation. However, Gurung had refused the demand citing that he was facing financial crisis as Malasiya had stopped hiring workers.
