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The 37.5 MW Chimkhola-Mangale-Rahughat Hydropower Project has been constructed in Raghuganga Rural Municipality of Myagdi. The project, promoted by Tudi Power Company Limited, has begun testing the dam, descender (water retention pond) and tunnel by pouring water into it.

Prakash Timilsina, the project’s resident engineer, informed that the testing of the physical structure has begun as per the schedule to start trial production on May 15. “The testing of the physical structure is being done by filling the dam, descender, tunnel and penstock pipeline with water,” he said. “The equipment installation at the power house has been completed and the transmission line is ready.”

Timilsina said that the penstock test was successful and no problems were seen in the tunnel, descender and dam, which were filled with water since Tuesday. A dam has been constructed in Bandi, Raghuganga Rural Municipality-8, and a 110-meter-long, 8-meter-high, and 30-meter-wide water retention pond has been constructed nearby.

A 950-meter-long penstock pipeline has been constructed to transport the water brought from the dam through a 5-kilometer, 300-meter-long tunnel to the power house at Bagar in Chimkhola, Raghuganga Rural Municipality-7.

The height of the outlet from the power house to the tunnel is 360 meters. The civil contractor for the project, whose construction began in November 2020, is Ramechhap Sherpa and South Asian Infrastructure Pvt. Ltd. The tunnel was dug from four places.

A 14-kilometer-long 220 kV transmission line has been constructed from the power house to the switchyard built in the power house premises of the Rahughat Hydropower Project in Raghuganga Rural Municipality-3. The transmission line has 49 towers. The electricity generated from the project will be connected to the 220 kV Dana-Kushma transmission line through a ‘loop in, loop out’ (Lilo) method. The 48.5 MW Upper Rahughat Hydropower Project, promoted by Tudi Power, along with Chimkhola-Mangle-Rahughat, is estimated to cost Rs 14bn.

Upper Rahughat is also in the final stages of construction. Chimkhola-Mangle-Rahughat is the first hydropower project to be completed in the Rahughat Basin. 21.3 MW Thulokhola, and 22.3 MW Upper Thulokhola hydropower projects on the Rahughat River are nearing completion.

The Nepal Stock Exchange (NEPSE) plunged by 9. 62 points to close at 2,610. 76 points on Monday.

Similarly, the sensitive index dropped by 1. 24 points to close at 440. 25 points.

A total of 18,437,942-unit shares of 319 companies were traded for Rs 7. 63 billion.

Meanwhile, Nepal Micro Insurance Company Limited (NMIC), Om Megashree Pharmaceuticals Limited (OMPL) and Citizens Super 30 Mutual Fund (C30MF) were the top gainers today with their price surging by 10. 00 percent.

Likewise, Himalayan Power Partner Ltd. (HPPL) was the top loser with its price dropped by 9. 99 percent.

At the end of the day, the total market capitalization stood at Rs 4. 34 trillion.

Brazilian police have arrested two people in connection with an alleged plot to detonate explosives at a Lady Gaga concert in Rio de Janeiro that drew more than two million people, Aljazeera reported.

The Civil Police of Rio de Janeiro said on social media on Sunday that it had thwarted a bomb attack that had been planned by the suspects for the free concert, held on the famous Copacabana Beach on Saturday.

The police added that an adult “responsible for the plan” had been arrested along with a teenager in an operation codenamed “Fake Monster” – a reference to “Little Monsters”, the star’s pet name for her fans.

The suspects, it said, had recruited people online to “carry out attacks using improvised explosives” in the aim of “gaining notoriety on social media”. Police working in coordination with the Justice Ministry carried out raids across Rio de Janeiro state as well as in the states of Sao Paulo, Rio Grande do Sul, and Mato Grosso, according to Aljazeera.

A female Nepali student was found dead in her hostel room at the Kalinga Institute of Industrial Technology (KIIT) in Bhubaneswar on Thursday evening, in what police have described as a suspected case of suicide.

Parents arrived in Bhubaneswar

The grieving parents of the first-year B.Tech student arrived at the mortuary in AIIMS Bhubaneswar following the incident. “We received information (about her demise) at 8:00 PM,” the student’s visibly distraught mother told ANI. Her father said the family had spoken to her just hours before the incident. “On the day of the incident, we had a telephone conversation with her at 3:00 PM. She talked to us nicely,” he added.

What authorities are saying

Bhubaneswar Police Commissioner Suresh Dev Datta Singh stated that preliminary findings suggest it was a case of suicide. “Prima facie, it appears to be a suicide case, as she was found in a hanging position inside a locked room,” Singh told ANI. He added that all necessary evidence had been collected and that the body was sent for a post-mortem at AIIMS.

Deputy Commissioner of Police (DCP) Jagmohan Meena provided further details, saying the incident came to light during a routine attendance check. “When the hostel warden was taking evening attendance, one student did not respond. On checking, the girl was found hanging inside her room. No note was found,” Meena said.

UGC sets up fact-finding committee

In response to the incident and rising concerns, the University Grants Commission (UGC) has formed a four-member fact-finding committee headed by IGNOU Vice-chancellor Nageshwar Rao. The panel will look into the circumstances surrounding the alleged suicides at KIIT, assess the university’s adherence to student welfare norms, and recommend preventive measures.

Other members of the committee include Shashikala Wanjari (VC, NIEPA), HCS Rathore (former VC, Central University of South Bihar), and Sunita Siwach (Joint Secretary, UGC), who will serve as the committee’s coordination officer.

A worrying pattern?

This is the second such incident involving a Nepali student at KIIT in the last three months. In February, another Nepali student, Prakriti Lamsal, also died by suicide at the university. The latest case has triggered concerns among students, parents, and diplomatic channels, with police confirming they are in touch with the Nepali embassy. Security arrangements have been made around the campus.

Deputy Prime Minister and Finance Minister Bishnu Paudel has consulted with Nepali Congress President Sher Bahadur Deuba about the budget for the upcoming Fiscal Year 2082/83 BS (2025/26). 

He reached Deuba's residence in Budhanilkantha this morning and held consultations with the NC President and former Prime Minister on the next fiscal year's budget.

On the occasion, Deuba suggested adopting austerity keeping in view the economic situation of the country and preparing the budget so that the resources can be utilized to the maximum, the Finance Minister's Secretariat said.

Various stakeholders have highlighted the need of developing the Muktinath area as a comprehensive religious tourism site.

Chief District Officer Bishnu Prasad Bhusal said initiatives would be taken to extend the stay of the tourists visiting Muktinath temple.

A 11-member team led by CDO Bhusal had visited the Muktinath area on Saturday to further explore the areas for the promotion of religious tourism.

According to him, a trekking route should be constructed at a distance of about four kilometres in Muktinath area to connect it with the three religious heritages here.

"Muktinath Development Committee along with the local people will take forward the construction of the trekking route", he said.

The team carried out a preliminary feasibility study with the aim of linking alternative religious heritage with tourism.

Speaker Devraj Ghimire has issued a ruling to the government to ascertain the truth behind the death of Prisa Shah at Kalinga Institute of Industrial Technology (KIIT) in Odisha, India.

During a meeting of the House of Representatives on Monday, lawmakers drew the attention of the government to the demise of Sah, a Nepali student at KIIT in India.

Sah was found dead at her hostel room on Thursday evening.

Saying that his attention has been drawn to the issue raised by the lawmakers in the emergency time of the meeting, Speaker Ghimire directed the government to initiate high-level diplomatic efforts with the Indian government and provide necessary legal assistance to the family.

“The mysterious deaths of students, who had gone abroad to study with dreams of a bright future, one after another are also a serious question linked to the sensitivity and responsibility of the nation,” he said, adding, “I direct the government to take deep interest in this incident and to initiate high-level diplomatic talks with the Indian government to ascertain the truth and provide necessary legal assistance to the family.”

The government has announced plans to implement Euro 6 vehicle emission, marking a significant step toward cleaner transportation in Nepal. President Ram Chandra Paudel made the announcement, presenting the government’s policies and programs for the upcoming fiscal year 2025/26 in the joint session of parliament.

The existing Vehicle Emission Standards, 2012 allows imports of motor vehicles complying to Euro 3 or equivalent emission standards. While attempts to revise the standard were made in 2017 and 2021, it stalled on the pressure from automobile importers. However, officials say the government is now committed to enforcing the new norms.

An official at the Ministry of Forests and Environment said the draft of the updated standards has been sent to the Department of Environment (DoE) for feedback. The ministry will finalize the draft within two to three months after incorporating feedback received from the DoE.

As per the draft, the government will adopt Euro 6 standards for passenger vehicles, motorcycles and commercial vehicles, and Euro 4 standards for heavy equipment and construction vehicles.

The Ministry of Finance and the Ministry of Physical Infrastructure and Transport have already approved the draft, the forest ministry official said. “India enforced Bharat Standard 6 (BS 6) in 2020, and China has Euro 6 equivalent emission standards. It is high time we upgraded our emission standards,” he added.

Since Nepal makes most of its vehicle imports from India and China—countries which are already producing Euro 6-compliant models, automobile dealers say the switch to Euro 6 will not affect supply.

Automobile dealers, however, say that any change in emission standards should come with an advance notice. An official of NADA Automobiles Association said they have recommended a six-month transition period. “We are ready to implement new emission standards. But sudden enforcement could hurt businesses as they would find it difficult to sell off existing orders. There is also a need to train technicians,” the official added. 

Some dealers, however, say the upgrade to Euro 6 would make motor vehicles expensive. “There is no rush to make the switch as we are seeing a healthy growth in electric vehicle imports,” a former office-bearer of NADA said on condition of anonymity.

Ministry officials said the upcoming budget might provide a clear timeline on switching to Euro 6 emission standards.