Submit your Article

Deputy Prime Minister and Minister for Home Affairs Narayan Kaji Shrestha reached Beijing on Monday evening to attend the 3rd Belt and Road Forum for International Cooperation at the invitation of Chinese Minister of Ecology and Environment, Wang Xiaohong.

DPM Shrestha was welcomed by Ambassador of Nepal to China, Bishnu Pukar Shrestha, and the high-level officials of the Ministry of Ecology and Environment of China, according to a press release issued by Nepali Embassy in China.

DPM Shrestha will be attending the opening ceremony of the 3rd Belt and Road Forum for International Cooperation.

He will address the High-level forum on Green Development “Green Silk Road for Harmony with Nature” at the National Convention Center on October 18.

He is scheduled to hold bilateral meetings with Chinese Minister of Emergency Management, Wang Xiangsi; and Member of the Secretariat of Central Committee of the Communist Party of China, Wang Xiaohong, during his stay in Beijing.

Similarly, DPM Shrestha is to meet Chinese Minister of International Department, Liu Jianchao.

The Nepali delegation led by the DPM will return to Kathmandu on October 20, the press release added.

The Millennium Challenge Corporation (MCA) Nepal has announced the cancellation of all the bids that it had received for the construction of a 315-kilometer transmission line.

Assistant Communication Specialist with MCA Nepal, Pushkar Mathema, informed that all the tenders for the transmission lines have been revoked.

MCA Nepal had initiated a global tender in December of the previous year for the design, supply, installation, testing, and commissioning of transmission lines. After studying technical proposals of six bidders, it shortlisted five Indian companies—Kalpataru Power Transmission, Transrail Lighting Ltd, Tata Projects Ltd, KEC International, and L&T Ltd.

MCA Nepal officials said the tender process was canceled as the quoted costs were up to 65 percent higher than the original estimate. “We will now go for a fresh round of bidding,” Mathema added.

MCA Nepal had invited bids for the 315-kilometer Lapsiphedi-Butwal 400 kV Transmission Line by dividing it into three segments: Lapsiphedi-Ratamate-Hetauda, Ratamate-New Damauli, and New Damauli-New Butwal.

The MCC project officially commenced implementation on Aug 30 after nearly one and a half years of preparatory work. It must complete all the projects within five years. Failure to meet the five-year deadline allows the Millennium Challenge Corporation (MCC) to withdraw the project.

However, MCA Nepal has not completed even the preparatory works, including land acquisition, in some areas and tree felling activities.

MCA Nepal has already initiated a $100m bidding process for the construction of 400 kV substations at Ratamate in Nuwakot, Damauli in Tanahun, and Bhumahi in Nawalparasi. The land required for the Ratamate substation has already been acquired, and the process of land acquisition for the transmission line is underway, according to MCA Nepal.

Additionally, the project is in the process of inviting tenders for tree felling for the substation and the right of way for the transmission line. Correspondence and coordination with the Ministry of Forest and Environment are ongoing to secure tree felling approval, it added. The ministry has already assigned the relevant divisional forest offices to conduct tree counting.

Once the tree counting is completed, approval will be sought from the Council of Ministers for tree felling. Furthermore, discussions are underway with the ministry to determine the methodology for tree plantation as compensation for the felled trees.

The construction of the 400 KV transmission line will require the erection of 856 towers. As per the Environmental Impact Assessment (IEA) report, the project will need to fell approximately 202,200 trees across 354 hectares. MCA Nepal has expressed its commitment to planting one tree for every tree felled. However, the ministry has proposed to plant 10 trees for every tree felled or provide equivalent compensation. 

MCA Nepal and its consultants are currently engaging in consultations with local residents before conducting a detailed tree count. It hopes to get the actual details of the number of trees to be planted after the count.

Nepal was selected for the MCC Compact in Dec 2014, while the formal agreement was signed in Sept 2017. The compact was ratified by the parliament on 27 Feb 2022.

The CPN (Maoist Center) has decided to cast the vote of confidence in favor of Koshi Province Chief Minister Kedar Karki.

Karki is seeking a vote of confidence from the third meeting of the fourth convention of the Province Assembly.

The Province Assembly meeting has been called for 11 am on Wednesday.

A Province Secretariat meeting of the Maoist Center held on Monday decided to cast the vote of confidence in favor of Karki by taking consent of the party Central Committee.

Maoist Center Province Chairman Harka Bahadur Nembang said that the decision to cast the vote of confidence in favor of Karki was made by holding a consultation with the center.

By revolting against the decision of the party, Karki was appointed as the chief minister with the support of eight Province Assembly members of Nepali Congress and 39 of CPN-UML on Saturday.

He took the oath of office and secrecy on Sunday.

Karki appointed Ram Bahadur Rana of UML and Shumsher Rai of Nepali Congress as ministers on the same day.

Article 168 (4) states that a person appointed as the chief minister should seek a vote of confidence from the Province Assembly within 30 days of the appointment.

Foreign Minister NP Saud has said that preparations are being made to repatriate the bodies of Nepali students killed in armed attacks by Hamas, a Palestinian Islamist militant group which rules the Gaza Strip, in Israel.

During a program organized in the Capital on Monday, Minister Saud said that the Israeli government has handed over five bodies out of 10 to the concerned Nepali authority in Israel. So, preparations are being made to bring the bodies back home as soon as possible.

He said that the other five bodies will be handed over to Nepal after completing the due process.

Minister Saud further said that they are coordinating with the government of other Gulf countries who have relations with Hamas to search for student Bipin Joshi who has been missing in Israel.

The government has already evacuated 254 Nepalis from Israel.

The government is also taking initiatives to rescue other Nepalis who wish to return to Nepal.

The Cricket Association of Nepal (CAN) has announced an 18-member squad for the T20 International Triangular Series scheduled to take place in Kathmandu on October 18.

The team will be led by national cricket captain Rohit Kumar Paudel.  

Other members of team are Kushal Bhurtel, Aasif Sheikh, Dipendra Singh Airee, Sompal Kami, Binod Bhandari, Kushal Malla, Gulsan Jha, Pratish GC, Karan KC, Sandip Jora, Shyam Dhakal, Lalit Narayan Rajbamshi, Bibek Yadav, Abinash Bohara, Sagar Dhakal, Surya Tamang and Lokesh Bam.

Bowler Sandeep Lamichhane has not been included in the list.

He has withdrawn his name from the list saying that he was in mental pressure and needed to spare time for the family, it has been said.

The International Triangular Series will be held in the Mulpani Cricket Stadium and the Tribhuvan University International Cricket Ground in Kirtipur from October 18 to 27.

The match will be participated by three teams, Nepal, the United Arab Emirates (UAE) and Hong Kong.

Nepal will play the opening match against UAE.

Koshi Province Chief Minister Kedar Karki is seeking a vote of confidence in the Province Assembly on October 18.

Appointed as the Chief Minister in accordance with Article 168 (5) of the Constitution, CM Karki has registered a proposal in the Province Assembly for a vote of confidence as per Article 168 (4), said Province Assembly secretary Gopal Prasad Parajuli.

Article 168 (4) states that a person appointed the chief minister should seek a vote of confidence from the Province Assembly within 30 days of the appointment.

Koshi Province Chief Parshuram Khapung had appointed Karki as the Chief Minister on October 14.

The Nepal Stock Exchange (NEPSE) plunged by 23. 16 points to close at 1,851.43 points on Monday.

Similarly, the sensitive index dropped by 3. 38 points to close at 355. 74 points.

A total of 4,837,893-unit shares of 284 companies were traded for Rs 1. 25 billion.

Meanwhile, Siddhartha Premier Insurance Limited was the top gainer today with its price surging by 7. 87 percent. Likewise, Sayapatri Hydropower Limited and Hathway Investment Nepal Limited were the top losers as their price fell by 10. 00 percent.

At the end of the day, the total market capitalization stood at Rs 2. 84 trillion.

Kedar Karki, a leader from the Nepali Congress’ anti-establishment camp, has taken the oath of office and secrecy as the chief minister of Koshi province from Parshuram Khapung, the province chief, in accordance with Article 168 of the Constitution.

He was elected on Saturday with support from 47 members of the Province Assembly. Karki, considered close to NC leader Shekhar Koirala, managed to become the chief minister with support of 39 PA members from the CPN-UML and eight PA members from the NC, though the coalition government at the Center was against a new coalition in Koshi.  

CPN (Maoist Center) parliamentary party leader Indra Bahadur Angbo had also staked a claim for the post with the signatures of 47 members. However, Angbo was not present for verification of the signatures.

After the NC’s rebel candidate Karki came to power in Koshi, Prime Minister Pushpa Kamal Dahal, NC President Sher Bahadur Deuba and leader Koirala held a meeting at the PM’s official residence in Baluwatar on Saturday morning, agreeing to give Karki a vote of confidence.

Since 26 Dec 2022, when province assembly elections were conducted, Koshi has seen a frequent change of guard. Hikmat Karki of the UML and Uddhav Thapa of the NC each became chief minister of the province in a short span. However, their governments collapsed as they could not win the vote of confidence.

Responding to journalists’ queries, Karki described his appointment as the lawmakers’ “conscious and responsible decision” to avoid mid-term polls in the province. He said the new government was the result of joint efforts from provincial assembly members to rekindle hope among the people for development and prosperity of Koshi.

After Hikmat Karki of the UML resigned as the chief minister on Oct 7, province Chief Khapung had invited assembly members to lay claims to the high office by 5 pm Friday (Oct 13).

After taking the oath, Karki, the new CM, has formed a three-member Cabinet by appointing Shamsher Rai of the Nepali Congress and Ram Rana of the UML as ministers without portfolio. 

Meanwhile, parliamentary party leader of the NC’s Koshi province assembly Uddhav Thapa has resigned. He said it was not ethical to remain in power at a time when a new government had taken shape in the province.