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Chief Executive Officer of Millennium Challenge Corporation (MCC) Alice P. Albright said that she was confident and optimistic for timely completion of the MCC project.

Speaking at a press conference, visiting CEO Albright said that she found the Nepal government and other stakeholders effortful with dedication for its implementation as the project has to be completed within five years since its commencement.

"MCA Nepal has the responsibility for MCC implementation. This is a structure under the Nepal government", she added.

CEO Albright shared that projects under MCC have been executed in different parts of the world and stressed the need of cooperation from all sides to overcome challenges to be evolved in the course of its implementation.

Sharing that the high-level meetings and discussions during her Nepal visit were fruitful, she said matters related to the successful implementation of the project were discussed on the occasion.

During her stay, CEO Albright-led delegation had called on Prime Minister Pushpa Kamal Dahal, former Prime Minister and Nepali Congress President Sher Bahadur Deuba, former Prime Minister and CPN-UML Chairman KP Sharma Oli, Minister for Foreign Affairs NP Saud, Minister for Finance Dr Prakash Sharan Mahat, Minister for Energy, Water Resource and Irrigation Shakti Bahadur Basnet and Minister for Physical Infrastructure and Transport Prakash Jwala among others.

Noting that MCC has already entered into implementation and she was very excited after the high-level meetings and discussions. Albright expressed her confidence that the project would be completed in the designated period.

The MCC CEO further mentioned that they had agreed and accepted the interpretive declaration attached to MCC while endorsing the MCC related proposal from the parliament.

She further said that MCC was a crucial part of the US foreign grants assistance and its execution believably would further deepen the Nepal-US relations.

Furthermore, CEO Albright expressed her hope that the project would help develop reliable electricity service and road networking as well as open up avenues for electricity export through the construction of transmission lines.

She went on saying that the projects under such grants would contribute to the economic growth of Nepal.

Under the grants, the Nepal government and MCC have anticipated improvements of roads and enhanced reliable access of Nepali people to the clean and affordable energy, she said, adding it would help strengthen energy and transport sectors.                                                                  

Saying that the Nepal government itself has also made investment in the project, CEO Albright said that the Nepal government has shown strong commitment to the project keeping it under the national pride project category.

Also on the occasion, US Ambassador Dean Thompson and MCA Nepal's Executive Director Khadga Bahadur Bista also responded to the queries of journalists on the project affairs.

The MCC compact has already entered into execution since last August 30.

The MCC compact was signed between the Nepal government and MCC under the US government on 14 September 2017.

After a long debate, the Parliament had endorsed the compact last year.

There is a provision in the compact that the power transmission lines and roads construction project should be completed within five years since the commencement of the project execution.

A truck knocked down two school students at Malekhu in Gajuri Rural Municipality-2 of Dhading district on Wednesday.

Deputy Superintendent of Police (DSP) of the District Police Office Shanti Lal Prasad Jaiswal said that Nirmal Shrestha and Sanjeeb Shrestha of Siddhalek Rural Municipality-6 died on the spot when the truck hit them.

The truck (Province 02-001 B 6413) was heading towards Chitwan from Kathmandu.

Both the deceased were eighth graders at the local Bageswori Secondary School.

The irate locals obstructed the vehicular movement along the Prithvi Highway following the incident demanding compensation.

Police said that they have taken truck driver Ashok Bomjan (41) of Chandrapur Municipality-2, Rautahat under control for investigation.

More than 20 people have been killed and 18 injured after a bus carrying foreign tourists crashed off an elevated overpass, plunged some 15 metres (50 feet) and caught fire near Venice in northern Italy, officials said, Aljazeera reported.

The bus veered off the road on Tuesday evening at approximately 19:45pm local time (17:45 GMT), crashed through a barrier, plummeted onto electricity lines and caught fire, according to reports.

“An apocalyptic scene, there are no words,” Venice’s Mayor Luigi Brugnaro said in a post on social media.

Official mourning has been declared in Venice in memory of the victims, the mayor said.

What caused the horrific accident was unclear.

Venice City Councillor Renato Boraso said the bus had been carrying 40 passengers,  21 of whom had died and 18 were injured.

Boraso warned that the death toll could rise as several of those hurt in the crash were in critical condition in hospital.

“It’s an appalling tragedy, the city is in mourning,” Boraso told Sky Italia television.

Five of the victims were Ukrainians and one was German, said Venice’s prefect Michele Di Bari, the local representative of the interior ministry. The bus was also carrying passengers from France and Croatia, Italian news agency ANSA reported.

“The bus is totally crushed. The firefighters had difficulty getting a lot of the bodies out,” Di Bari told Sky Italia television. He said two children were among the victims.

Late on Tuesday evening, rescuers were still struggling to remove the wreckage of the bus to make sure no more passengers were trapped inside, according to Aljazeera.

The Veneto region governor, Luca Zaia, told RAI state television that the cause of the accident was still unclear.

“This is an important tragedy, but it’s difficult to understand how it happened,” Zaia said. “The bus was new and electric, and that street wasn’t particularly problematic.”

Prime Minister Giorgia Meloni expressed her condolences, saying in a statement that her government’s thoughts were with “the victims, their families and their friends”.

Italy has suffered a number of deadly bus crashes in recent years.

In 2017, 16 people on board a bus carrying Hungarian students died in an accident near the northern city of Verona, while 40 people died in 2013 when a bus plunged off a viaduct in southern Italy.

The Commission for the Investigation of Abuse of Authority has moved the Special Court against Secretary at the Ministry of Industry and Commerce Madhu Kumar Marasini and eight others demanding the recovery of around Rs 230m embezzled in the name of a National Payment Gateway about six years ago.  

Other officials facing the charge of committing irregularities to the tune of Rs 230m in the National Payment Gateway scam include the then secretary at the Ministry of Science and Technology and chair at National Information Technology Center (NITC) Sanjaya Sharma, then executive director at NITC Pranita Upadhyaya, Nepal Telecom’s managing director Sunil Poudel (then deputy executive director at NITC) and NITC director Safal Shrestha (deputy director at the time of the scam). CIAA has also accused then assistant director at NITC Ramesh Pokharel, then account officer Nim Bahaduar Wali, then account officer at the center Ram Bahadur Budha and engineer at the center Ram Sharan Gayak of involvement in the scam.     

The anti-corruption agency has accused Marasini, then chief at the Ministry of Finance’s Budget and Program Division, of getting around Rs 250m released in the name of the gateway by preparing a faulty estimate and getting it approved despite the absence of infrastructure required for the operation of the gateway by keeping subordinate and superordinate authorities in the dark.

The CIAA unearthed the scam while investigating a complaint regarding irregularities related to the gateway and subsequently moved the court against the nine officials. It has demanded the recovery of around Rs 230.27m from them as per sub-clause 3(1) of clause 17 of Corruption Eradication Act 2059 for causing loss/damage to government property of the government as well as a public enterprise.

The payment gateway, procured six years ago, remains non-functional till date.

At noon on Thursday, a lot of people were waiting for their turn to purchase outpatient department (OPD) tickets at the Provincial Hospital of Madhesh Institute of Health Sciences in Janakpurdham, Dhanusha. However, there were no specialist hospitals on duty. Patients waited till 3 pm, but the doctors were nowhere to be seen.

While the names of several doctors, including Dr. Siddhidatri Jha, Dr. Ramdev Chaudhary, Dr. Bipin Kumar Yadav, Dr. Digbijaya Kumar Thakur, Dr. Rameshwar Mahaseth, Dr. Shyam Babu Sah, and Dr. Tarakeshwar Mahato, were listed on the duty roster, only Dr. Siddhidatri Jha was on duty attending to patients. Dr. Thakur had taken leave, but the others remained conspicuously absent without notifying the hospital administration.

In the pediatric department, where four doctors, including Dr. Baidyanath Thakur, Dr. Abhaya Mandal, Dr. Jamun Prasad Singh, and Dr. Jitendra Dhakur, were expected to be on duty, none were in attendance. Among the four doctors assigned to the gynecology department, only three were present, as Dr. Shweta Sah was absent without prior communication with the hospital administration.

The patients, who were waiting since 11 am, had no option but to return home. Some were compelled to seek medical care at private hospitals. Bindeshwar Yadav of Janakpurdham-2, who was waiting to see doctors for his swollen limbs, looked frustrated. "I have been waiting for hours, but I am not sure whether the doctors will arrive," he added. Amod Yadav from Mirchaiya in Siraha echoed the sentiment. “I have been waiting for hours for a doctor to review my report. But the doctor was nowhere to be found,” he added.

This mess is not because the hospital is seeing a shortage of doctors. There are adequate doctors on the hospital’s payroll. However, the visible absence of doctors attending to patients is worrying. Sushil Karna from Janakpur said that most government doctors are attending to patients at private hospitals. "The doctors come, sign the attendance register, and then rush off to attend to patients in private hospitals," he said, adding, "When we ask for doctors, the nurses give us a hard time."

Patients say that a majority of the government doctors work in private hospitals or their own clinics to earn extra income. "Doctors do come to the hospital but often leave around noon. Unfortunately, we cannot question them," a contractual employee at the hospital said. Many employees at the hospital share the sentiment that doctors typically arrive late and leave early. “Since all the doctors have strong political affiliations, they do what they want to,” a staff nurse at the hospital said. “These doctors are expected to be at the hospital from 10 am to 4 pm, but they rarely stay for more than two hours.”

A group of 35 students from Sangda and Thalar settlements in Sigas Rural Municipality-7 of Baitadi, gather on the banks of the Nwaghari River every morning. When their teacher, Lakshmi Chand, arrives, the students remove their shoes and slippers, join hands and cross the river together. The scene repeats in the afternoon when they return home from school.

The absence of a bridge over the Nwaghari River has been forcing these students and their teachers to endure this perilous crossing each day. Although the river has already claimed three lives, the students have no choice but to face this dangerous challenge every day.

“All students wait for me on the river banks. We then form a human chain and cautiously make our way across the river. The looming threat of monsoon floods always hangs over us,” Chand shared.

The students echo her sentiments. “We cannot cross the river on our own. That is why we patiently wait for our teacher. Often, our clothes become wet while crossing, leaving us with no option but to continue our studies with wet clothes on,” Bindu Chand, a tenth grader from Sangda, said. He also said that the river has swept away books and study materials belonging to the students many times.

Kalu Singh Saud, the headmaster of Ganesh Secondary School, lamented the lack of a bridge over the Nwaghari River. “This difficult journey has affected the study of these students,” he added.

Local resident Dan Singh Ayer said the local community have approached all three tiers of government with pleas for a bridge. However, despite assurances from politicians during election campaigns, no tangible progress has been made, he added.

Three years ago, a bridge constructed by the rural municipality was swept away by floods. No initiative for  bridge construction has been taken since that incident.  Karna Singh Saud, the chairman of Ward-7, disclosed that the rural municipality has requested the provincial government’s assistance in building a bridge over the Nwaghari River. Chairperson of the rural municipality, Dhana Dhami, said although there were four bridges over the river, there is a need for one more at the location where the students cross the river. “We will now take initiative to build a bridge there as well,” she added.

The Annapurna Express, an English daily of Annapurna Media Network, has honored 50 pioneering personalities through its special annual program ‘Salute’. Those who have contributed in various fields have been honored with medals and certificates.

The personalities who were honored are national and international economic, social, political, sports, medicine, social service, financial sector, entertainment, business and space sector. 

Captain Rameshwar Thapa, Chairperson of Annapurna Media Network said that the responsibility of the media is to promote positive issues and said that the ApEx will continue to respect and honor such top people. 

He further said, “Our responsibility is not limited only to conveying news. Those who have made a significant contribution to society should be appreciated. In the current situation where negativity is mostly highlighted, honoring positive work is a challenge.”

The chief guest of the event, former President Bidya Devi Bhandari, praised Annapurna Media Network for honoring personalities who have done commendable work in various fields of national life. 

A book containing the journey, experience and profile of 50 pioneers was also released at Monday’s event. The book titled ‘Apex Pioneer, The Changemakers of Nepal’ was launched by former President Bhandari and Chairperson Thapa. 

Kamal Dev Bhattarai, Editor of The Annapurna Express, said that he was proud to appreciate the inspirational work of personalities who fill the society with positive energy. According to him, last year the top visionaries were honored and the next year the top planners will be motivated through a similar program.

Chief Executive Officer of Annapurna Media Network, Sanat Neupane, said that Annapurna has succeeded in continuing the image of not only writing news but also honoring individuals who work uniquely in their field. 

Here are the honored pioneers:

Anupama Khunjeli

Anuradha Koirala

Ashesh Malla

Baburam Bhattarai

Baikuntha Manandhar

Bal Krishna Joshi

Basanta Raj Mishra

Bhairab Risal

Bharat Pokharel

Bhinda Swari Shah

Bhuwan Chand

Binod Chaudhary

Bishnu Maya Pariyar

Buddhi Narayan Shrestha

Capt Siddhartha Gurung

Devendra Raj Pandey

Dr Bhagawan Koirala

Dr Kumud Dhital

Dr Ram Kantha Makaju

Dr Sanduk Ruit

Durga Baral

Gagan Pradhan

Ghanashyam Gurung

Harry Bhandari

Himalaya Shamsher JBR

Jhamak Ghimire

Kanchha Sherpa

Kiran Manandhar

Kulman Ghising

Mahabir Pun

Mahesh Acharya

Mallika Shakya

Manjushree Thapa

Min Bahadur Gurung

Mukesh Chalise

Neer Shah

Pawan Golyan

Rabindra Puri

Ram Dayal Rakesh

Ram Kumar Panday

Ramesh Sherpa

RP Pradhan

Shyam Goenka

Suresh Raj Sharma

Tulsi Ghimire

Uday Raj Khanal

Upendra Mahato

Usha Nepal

Uttam Sanjel

The World Bank (WB) has projected an improvement in Nepal's economic growth in the years ahead as the growth is expected to rebound to 3.9 percent in 2024 and 5 percent in the following year.

In the WB's Nepal Development Update report launched today, the rise in the growth is expected due to the impact of lifting import restrictions and the gradual loosening of monetary policy and so on.

However, inflation is expected to remain high, weighing on people’s real disposable incomes and private consumption.

Shedding light on the recent economic developments in Nepal, the WB states that real GDP growth decreased to an estimated 1.9 percent in 2023, the lowest rate since 2020 and substantially below the 10-year average growth rate. Likewise, monetary tightening and the effects of import restrictions contributed to the slowdown. Economic activity was particularly subdued in the industry and services sectors, while agricultural output remained more resilient.

Stating that slow credit growth and import restrictions contributed to a reduction in private investment on the demand side, it said lower capital expenditure and revenue underperformance drove lower public investment. "As a result, total investment decreased by more than 10 percent, a sharper reduction than in 2020. Private consumption remained robust, owing to strong remittance inflows."

It is said that inflation increased for the third successive year in 2023, and the increase was broad-based. Food prices rose due to supply side shocks and domestic policy changes. Non-food prices were pushed by higher housing and utility prices. The persistence of high inflation impedes an effective policy mix to stimulate growth while containing external imbalances.

Domestic policies and India’s trade restriction measures invoked a steep reduction of goods imports.

Remittance inflows increased in 2023, following high outward migration in the previous year.

Exports stagnated below their pre-pandemic level, caused also by a real appreciation due to Nepal’s persistently high inflation. Overall, the current account deficit decreased significantly, and the level of foreign currency reserves increased above its policy floor, according to the WB updates on Nepal development. 

The contraction of imports caused a sharp decline in fiscal revenues, as more than half of total revenues are trade related. Because expenditures contracted at a much slower pace than revenues, the fiscal deficit nearly doubled to 6.1 percent of GDP, the highest deficit recorded in more than two decades. Overall, public debt increased due to the weaker fiscal performance to 41.3 percent of GDP, it is said.

Amid challenges, Nepal is leading the way towards operationalizing its green, resilient, and inclusive development vision to shape the country’s long-term economic recovery.

Improved external competitiveness is key to driving this recovery and enabling Nepal to compete in export markets, in terms of both prices and quality.

This requires emphasis on reforms to help increase domestic productivity and reduce the inflation differential with Nepal’s trading partners, the WB assessed.