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The National Planning Commission (NPC) has finalized the approach paper of the 16th periodic plan, identifying a dozen transformational sectors. The full meeting of the National Planning Commission (NPC) chaired by its Chairman Prime Minister Pushpa Kamal Dahal on Wednesday endorsed the approach paper of the 16th plan which will be implemented from 2024/25 to 2029/30

Social justice, good governance, and property are presented as major priorities in the approach paper as it aims to promote good governance in administrative and judicial sectors, establish social justice in health, education, employment, and housing sectors and achieve prosperity in social life, economic development and in the national economy. 

Quality infrastructure development and systematic urbanization, social empowerment, promotion of inclusion and social security, containment of unwanted and informal transactions, allocation efficiency, and capacity enhancement for capital expenditure, environment protection, biological diversity and disaster management, and sustainable development of effective public administration are other areas of the priorities identified by the approach paper.

Addressing the meeting, PM Dahal said the 16th Periodic Plan is expected to be capable of bringing about quality transformations in the overall economy of the nation. “Our institutional and structural set-up, as well as our performance style, demand significant transformations in the formulation and implementation of policies, programs, and the budget,” said Dahal. 

Wednesday’s meeting also decided to take the approach paper for wider discussions from the province to local levels. The NPC has prepared a work plan extending till 12 Feb 2024, to develop the document of the new periodic plan and have it approved. The work on the formulation of the new five-year periodic plan had been started in the second week of June in accordance with the Procedures on Institutional Provisions for Formulation of the 16th Plan, 2023 prepared by the NPC.

The NPC plans to finalize the final draft of the 16th plan by the first week of Feb 2024 and get it endorsed by the cabinet by 12 Feb 2024. 

The NPC will now ask all the ministries for preliminary discussions and seek their suggestions. Similarly, preparations for the overall economic and investment outline (economic modeling) will be done within the last week of August. The Commission aims to prepare and endorse the sector-wise integrated preliminary draft of the 16th Periodic Plan by the last week of September. 

The approach paper has also presented a review of the 15th Periodic Plan, acknowledging that its goals were affected by challenges posed by the Covid-19 pandemic.

The CPN-UML on Thursday obstructed the National Assembly meeting demanding formation of a high-level probe committee to investigate the one quintal gold smuggling case.

As soon as the meeting began, UML lawmaker Bhairav Kumar Shrestha said they would not allow the National Assembly proceed with its business until the government forms a high-level probe committee.

He also said that the UML would not be a mute spectator in the latest gold smuggling case.

Shrestha suspected that the people in the government were also involved in the gold smuggling scam.

Saying that he would draw the attention of the government towards the issue, National Assembly Chairperson Ganesh Prasad Timilsina urged the UML to create a conducive environment to operate the meeting smoothly.

After the UML lawmakers refused to give up their stance despite repeated requests, Chairperson Timilsina said that the meeting has been postponed till August 7.

The CPN (Maoist Center) is not a political party in a strict sense, Maoist chair and prime minister, Pushpa Kamal Dahal ‘Prachanda,’ has said.
In his opening remarks at the fourth meeting of the party’s Central Committee, which began in Kathmandu on Wednesday, he said that there was an urgent need to reform the party, and presented some of his plans.  

“I have said this in the past as well. We have a huge line of leaders and workers, but the party is not like a party.” Dahal said that the Maoist Center must start a campaign to rebuild a communist party in a true sense. For that, he directed the Central Committee members to take the responsibility of party  reconstruction and reformation by conducting debates and discussions in a disciplined manner.

After the formation of the government under the leadership of his party, Maoist Chair claimed that the people are hopeful about the country’s future, and that this was the perfect time for the Maoist party to launch a party rebuilding campaign.The Central Committee meeting also decided to amend the party statute to increase women representation and include new leaders in the central member roster. With the passing of this proposal, the number of Maoist central members will now be 409. There are currently 199 alternate central members. 

In the meeting, Dahal also submitted an organizational proposal to hold a legislative conference after conducting a three-month campaign to strengthen the party organization.  “A three-month campaign will be conducted to strengthen the party and after that, the Statute Convention will be held,” Dahal has mentioned in the proposal. The campaign is set to take place from August through October. It is mentioned that 6,743 ward committees will be formed across the country and all the ethnic fronts will include at least 10 percent of their population. 

The party also plans to digitize all committees, make an annual calendar, hold a legislative conference in November, assign party secretaries with the responsibilities of overseeing the provinces, and deploying all central members to the ward levels for party rebuilding.. Dahal has also proposed unity with those forces that share similar ideas with the Maoists. 

The price of gold has dropped by Rs 200 per tola in the domestic market on Thursday.

According to the Federation of Nepal Gold and Silver Dealers’ Association, the yellow bullion is being traded at Rs 112, 200 per tola today. It was traded at Rs 112, 400 per tola on Wednesday.

Meanwhile, tejabi gold is being traded at Rs 111, 650 per tola. It was traded at Rs 111, 850.

Similarly, the silver is being traded at Rs 1,425 per tola today.

Heavy rain with thunder and lightning has been predicted at one or two places of Bagmati and Gandaki Provinces on Thursday.

According to the Meteorological Forecasting Division, there will be partly to generally cloudy throughout the country while light to moderate rain is likely at some places of Koshi, Bagmati, Gandaki, Karnali and Sudurpashchim Provinces.

Currently, there is an impact of monsoon winds along with a partial influence of monsoon depression around the Jharkhand region of India in the country.

The axis of monsoon trough is in north towards the West and it is around the average position towards the East, as per the MFD.

Likewise, tonight there will be partly to generally cloudy throughout the country.

Light to moderate rain is likely to occur at a few places of Koshi, Bagmati, Gandaki, Lumbini and Sudurpashchim Provinces.

There are chances of heavy rain with thunder and lightning at one or two places in Gandaki Province.

China's capital recorded its heaviest rainfall in at least 140 years over the past few days as remnants of Typhoon Doksuri deluged the region, turning streets into canals where emergency crews used rubber boats to rescue stranded residents, Associated Press reported.

The city recorded 744.8 millimeters (29.3 inches) of rain between Saturday and Wednesday morning, the Beijing Meteorological Bureau said Wednesday.

Beijing and the surrounding province of Hebei were hit by severe flooding because of the record rainfall, with waters rising to dangerous levels. The rain destroyed roads and knocked out power and even pipes carrying drinking water. It flooded rivers surrounding the capital, leaving cars waterlogged, while lifting others onto bridges meant for pedestrians.

The number of confirmed deaths from the torrential rains around Beijing rose to 21 on Wednesday after the body of a rescuer was recovered. Wang Hong-chun, 41, was with other rescuers in a rubber boat when it flipped over in a rapidly flowing river. Four of her teammates survived.

At least 26 people remain missing from the rains, according to Associated Press.

Among the hardest hit areas is Zhuozhou, a small city in Hebei province that borders Beijing's southwest. On Tuesday night, police there issued a plea on social media for lights to assist with rescue work.

Rescue teams traversed the flooded city in rubber boats as they evacuated residents who were stuck in their homes without running water, gas or electricity since Tuesday afternoon.

"I didn't think it would be that severe, I thought it was just a little bit of water and that it would recede," said 54-year-old Wang Huiying. She ended up spending the night on the third floor of her building as the water seeped into the first floor, which holds her steamed bread shop. All the machinery is now underwater.

It's unknown how many people are trapped in flood-stricken areas in the city and surrounding villages. Rescue teams from other provinces came to Zhuozhou to assist with evacuations.

"We have to grasp every second, every minute to save people," said Zhong Hongjun, the head of a rescue team from coastal Jiangsu province. Zhong said he had been working since 2 a.m. Wednesday when they arrived, and expects to work into the night. They've rescued about 200 people so far. "A lot of the people we saved are elderly and children," he said.

On Wednesday, waters in Gu'an county in Hebei, which borders Zhuozhou, reached as high as halfway up a pole where a surveillance camera was installed.

Gu'an county resident Liu Jiwen, 58, was evacuated from his village on Tuesday night. "There's nothing we can do. It's natural disaster," he said, Associated Press reported.

Two other people were trying to pass through the flooded areas to rescue a relative trapped in a nearby village.

Nearly 850,000 people have been relocated, local authorities in Hebei province said.

The previous record for rainfall was in 1891, the Beijing Meteorological Bureau said Wednesday, when the city received 609 millimeters (24 inches) of rain. The earliest precise measurements made by machines are from 1883.

Ma Jun, director of the Institute of Public and Environmental Affairs, called the recent rainfall "extreme." Last year's total rainfall in Beijing did not even top 500 millimeters (19.6 inches).

Ma said there should be a review of how cities are planned because some places experience repeat flooding. "We need to avoid building large-scale construction ... in low-lying areas," Ma said.

The record rainfall from Doksuri, now downgraded to a tropical storm, may not be the last. Typhoon Khanun, which lashed Japan on Wednesday, is expected to head toward China later this week. The powerful storm, with surface winds of up to 180 kph (111 mph), may also hit Taiwan before it reaches China.

Thousands of people were evacuated to shelters in schools and other public buildings in suburban Beijing and in nearby cities. The central government is disbursing 44 million yuan ($6.1 million) for disaster relief in affected provinces, according to Associated Press.

The severity of the flooding took the Chinese capital by surprise. Beijing usually has dry summers but had a stretch of record-breaking heat this year.

The cases of lumpy skin disease, a viral infection that afflicts cattle, are on the rise in Lalitpur.

The disease that is transmitted by the bites from insects like flies, mosquitoes and ticks has so far affected 1,431 animals with 83 fatalities since mid-April, according to Veterinary Hospital and Livestock Service Center Lalitpur's Dr Nisha Timilsina.

The Center has so far vaccinated 8,300 cattle including 5,000 in Godawari Municipality alone against lumpy skin.

The municipality reports 296 cases of the disease.

US Ambassador to Nepal Dean R Thompson paid a courtesy call on Prime Minister Pushpa Kamal Dahal at the latter’s official residence in Baluwatar on Thursday.

Issues related to the implementation of Millennium Challenge Corporation (MCC), bilateral relations between the two countries and the US support for Nepal's economic development among others were discussed in the meeting, a source said.

According to a high-level source, Ambassador Thompson also asked the Prime Minister about whether he will participate in the United Nations General Assembly.

The Ministry of Foreign Affairs is making preparations for PM Dahal’s China visit.

Though China had invited Nepal to take part in the Boao Forum for Asia in March-end, Prime Minister Dahal canceled the trip at the last hour.

Earlier in July, US Assistant Secretary of State Donald Lu also came to Nepal to discuss the implementation of the MCC.

The US has been urging the political parties of Nepal for the implementation of the MCC which was endorsed by the Parliament.

According to the MCC agreement, the US has announced to provide USD 500 to Nepal for the implementation of a 315-km double circuit 400 kV transmission line and roads upgrade.