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The ruling coalition has decided to give the leadership of one parliamentary committee to the Rastriya Prajatantra Party.

A meeting of the chief whips of ruling parties held on Sunday morning agreed to give the leadership of the Infrastructure Development Committee of the House of Representatives to the Rastriya Prajatantra Party.

The RPP has decided to make the Infrastructure Development Committee of member Deepak Singh as the candidate of the president.

CPN (Maoist Center) Madhav Sapkota will support Singh in the election, a Maoist lawmaker said.

According to the source, the ruling coalition decided to give leadership of one parliamentary committee to the RPP to seek support in Koshi Province.

Among the 10 thematic committees, it was agreed that the Maoist Center will lead two committees.

A government document forgery case will be filed against those arrested in the Lalita Niwas land grab case.

The District Attorney Office, Kathmandu has decided to prosecute the case only in the forgery of government documents.

“It was decided not to file a charge sheet in organized crime. We are going to register the case only in the forgery of government documents,” an official at the District Attorney Office, Kathmandu said.

The Office has informed that a case against 290 persons has been filed at the District Court for forging government documents.

According to him, a case will not be filed against former prime minister duo Baburam Bhattarai and Madhav Nepal.

The Office has also decided to not make former election commission Sudhir Kumar Sah a defendant in the Lalita Niwas land grab case.

The Attorney’s office registered the case after studying the investigation report submitted by the Central Investigation Bureau of Nepal Police.

In the report prepared by the CIB, it has decided not to make former prime minister duo Bhattarai and Nepal defendants in the scam.

But the court had issued an order to bring the decision makers in the case under investigation.

The CIB had recorded the statements of Bhattarai and Nepal only a day before it submitted the report to the District Attorney Office.

Four years ago, a case was filed against the then prime ministers Madhav Nepal and Baburam Bhattarai in the Lalita Niwas land grab case.

The hearing of the case has not been held yet.

During the Madhav Kumar Nepal government, Bijay Kumar Gachhadar of the Nepali Congress served as a Minister of Physical Infrastructure and Deep Basnyat was the secretary at the ministry. It was during their tenure that they decided to fraudulently register plots of land in the names of numerous individuals and fake tenants.

The Nepal Cabinet had made a decision to expand the prime minister’s residence and construct a road within Lalita Niwas by compensating individuals who had illegally occupied the land. This agenda was brought by Gachhadar in the Cabinet. It has been found that the Nepal Cabinet made three different decisions in three separate meetings, providing an opportunity for the accused parties to engage in the scam.

All of the decisions were against the law. Several members in the Nepal Cabinet have stated that Lalita Niwas-related matters were never discussed during meetings, indicating the potential direct involvement of former prime minister Nepal.

The probe committee identifies Shova Kanta Dhakal and Ram Kumar Subedi as key individuals involved in the scam, labeling them as ‘land mafias’. From the early stages of the scam, these individuals have been implicated, as they still hold over 15 ropanis of Lalita Niwas land in their names, even after selling 30 ropanis of land to others.

The proprietor of Bhatbhateni Supermarket, Min Bahadur Gurung, and his family are owners of more than 29 ropanis of Lalita Niwas land. They acquired the land from Dhakal and Subedi. Furthermore, the duo also sold approximately five ropanis of land to former election commissioner Sudhir Kumar Shah.

When Bhattarai was prime minister, his Cabinet decided to transfer around three ropanis of land of Nepal government to ‘Pashupati Tinkinchha Guthi’ but the Trital-led committee had been unable to find about this Guthi. Neither the ministry officials nor the Guthi stakeholders know about the existence of this Guthi, raising suspicion against Bhattarai in the land grab case.

Deputy Prime Minister and Home Minister Narayan Kaji Shrestha has urged one and all to keep up the inter-caste and religious tolerance.

Addressing a press conference organized by Press Centre Nepal, Parsa chapter here today, he called for maintaining the unity in diversity since Nepal's identity is a nation with multi-ethnic, multi-linguistic and multi-cultural identities.

The DPM and Home Minister warned that the government would take action in accordance with the existing laws and the constitution against those undermining the social harmony and disturbing its unity. He also urged one and all to stand in favour of social goodwill and national unity along with tolerance towards each other's religion, culture, customs, faith, sentiments and traditions.

Stating that the government is committed to maintaining good governance in the country by eliminating corruption, DPM Shrestha also pledged to take the gold smuggling scam and the Lalita Niwas land grab scam to its final conclusion and to bring to justice all the culprits.

"In the beginning, the Department of Revenue Investigation carried out an investigation into the gold smuggling case and now the Nepal Police's Criminal Investigation Bureau (CIB) is looking into this. We will also go for a high-level investigation process after carrying out the legal and structural and associated probe and reaching to a conclusion once the CIB completes its investigations," the Home Minister said.

According to him, CIB has already conducted its investigation into the Lalita Niwas land procurement scam and submitted its report to the Government Attorney Office. The Attorney Office will also move ahead with the prosecution process soon, he added.

Deputy Prime Minister and Home Minister Narayan Kaji Shrestha has said that the guilty will be taken action by carrying out investigation as per the agreement signed with the victims in the Gaur massacre.

He said so while responding to the questions raised by mediapersons in a press conference organized by Press Center Nepal Parsa on Sunday.

“The concerned authority will conclude this case by bringing the guilty to book by conducting a comprehensive investigation based on the complaints filed during the incident as per the five-point agreement made by the government with the victims,” he said.

At least 27 persons had died when a clash broke out between the cadres of then CPN (Maoist) and Madhesi Janadhikari Forum on April 10, 2007.

Demanding action against those involved in the incident, the victims and the Home Ministry signed a five-point agreement on August 8.

Home Minister Shrestha made it clear that the government has not back tracked from the five-point agreement signed between the victims and Home Ministry.

“The government is committed to establishing the rule of law. We will not allow any to breach the law in any context. Investigation is being conducted as per the agreement signed with the Gaur massacre victims,” Shrestha said.

Meanwhile, he said that a directive has already been issued to the concerned authority to carry out an investigation into the Giribandhu Tea Estate case.

The gold is being traded at Rs 111, 100 per tola in the domestic market on Sunday.

According to the Federation of Nepal Gold and Silver Dealers’ Association, tejabi gold is being traded at Rs 110, 550 per tola.

Similarly, the silver is being traded at Rs 1,465 per tola today.  

The team representing the Campaign for Nepali Congress Transformation today called on Prime Minister Pushpa Kamal Dahal and demanded the government take action against all those found indulging in corruption.

The team urged the government to act tough against corruption to promote good governance in the country.

The delegation comprising Madhu Acharya, Jagadishwar Narsingh KC, Bhupendra Jung Shahi, Khagendra Malla, Janardan Acharya, Shanta Bastakoti and others had been at Baluwatar, the official residence of the Prime Minister, to urge the PM to ensure impartial investigations into the Lalita Niwas land procurement scam and to hold accountable all individuals proven guilty in the case. 

The team also drew the government's attention not to harbor any political favor towards and prejudice against anyone in the investigation in relation to the gold scam and to conclude the case impartially. The delegation also called for thorough investigation into the fake Bhutanese refugee scam and to bring it to a conclusive resolution.

The delegation stressed the significance of holding anyone involved in corruption accountable, regardless of their political or social status.

In response, the Prime Minister assured the delegation that the government is committed to concluding all the corruption related cases with impartially and seriousness.  

Nine months after the election of the House of Representatives, the process of selecting the leadership of the parliamentary committees has just started.

In Thursday's meeting of the House of Representatives, the Speaker had announced that the election of the presidents of all 10 thematic committees had been fixed for Monday afternoon at 3 pm.

Nominations can be registered from 11 am to 4 pm today, said Parliament Secretary Padma Prasad Pandey.

This time, out of the two joint committees and 10 thematic committees under the House of Representatives, the ruling party Nepali Congress has claimed four seats, CPN (Maoist Center) two, CPN-UML three, CPN (Unified Socialist) one, and Janamat Party one.

Under the House of Representatives there are the Finance Committee, International Relations and Tourism Committee, Industry and Commerce and Labor and Consumer Affairs Committee, Law, Justice and Human Rights Committee, Agricultural Cooperatives and Natural Resources Committee, Women and Social Affairs Committee, State Affairs and Good Governance Committee.

The Infrastructure Development Committee, Education, Health and Information Technology Committee and Public Accounts Committee will also get new leadership on Monday.

I’m a 16-year-old boy, studying in grade 11. I prefer to stay alone and I don’t usually share things with anyone. Whenever I’m not doing anything, I’m consumed by thoughts, both good and bad. Sometimes, it’s difficult for me to fall asleep. I wake up thinking about things. I sometimes dream about the things I think about and I feel a little off. Is this normal? What can I do to stop overthinking?

Answered by Kapil Sharma, counseling psychologist, Nepal Institute of Mental Health

First, I’d like to thank you for reaching out. Though it might seem alarming, what you are experiencing is common during adolescence as this is the phase when you are discovering yourself and are curious about things as well. It’s completely normal to have a stream of thoughts. It could be either positive or negative. Having said that, if your thoughts become overwhelming or distressing, you might have to do something to manage them.

According to the development perspective of psychology, adolescence is considered to be the time period when there is a conflict between your need for isolation and social interaction. You said you prefer to stay alone and that’s natural. Everyone wants personal space and it becomes all the more crucial during the teenage years. But you must remember that connection is extremely important for emotional well-being and socio-emotional development.

So, engaging in healthy social interaction can be good for your emotional health. It can also help you gain different perspectives which can be a great learning experience and give you a sense of belongingness as well. I suggest you consider striking a balance between personal time and spending time with others. Make sure you have at least a few good friends who understand you. Also, you must have an outlet for your emotions, be it journaling or by cultivating some hobbies that take your mind off things.

As far as difficulty falling asleep due to racing thoughts is concerned, again I’d like to reassure you that it’s quite common, particularly during the teenage years. Establishing a calming bedtime routine can help. Practice relaxation techniques like listening to music, meditation, etc. Maintaining a sleep diary (like recording when you went to bed, when you woke up, how you felt before going to bed and upon waking up, etc.) can help you understand your sleep patterns and eventually help you sleep better.

Recurring dreams are sometimes connected to our subconscious mind, like how we process our thoughts and experiences. If this is causing significant distress, then you must figure out the underlying emotions. What are you dreaming about? What message do you perceive from them? In this regard too, maintaining a sleep journal can help. It will help you understand your emotions better and address them.

If you find yourself thinking too much and unable to sleep despite trying the above-mentioned solutions, then I suggest you seek professional help. He or she can guide you better and help you find a way out of the conundrum.