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Two more persons have been arrested for their alleged involvement in shooting Rohit Chaudhary (28) of Biratnagar Metropolitan City-5 to death.

Police said that so far, they have apprehended four persons involved in supplying the weapon (pistol) used in the incident and in the murder.

DSP Raj Kumar Rai, spokesperson at the District Police Office, Sunsari, said that two more persons were nabbed from Biratnagar and Dharan.

The arrestees have been identified as Prakash Limbu (30) of Prithvinagar, Bhadrapur Municipality-1, Jhapa and currently residing at Bhotepul, Dharan Sub-Metropolitan City-8 of Sunsari and Ajay Kumar Sharma aka Anju (41) of Janapath Tole, Biratnagar Metropolitan City-15.

DSP Rai said that Limbu has direct involvement in the murder.

Preliminary investigation revealed that Sharma had provided the pistol used in the incident to the racket involved in the murder.

Earlier, police had detained Deepak Timinsina (35) of Letang Municipality-1, Morang and Anasan Tamang (34) of Dharan-10, Sunsari for their alleged involvement in the murder of Chaudhary.

Koshi Province police Chief DIG Rajesh Nath Bastola on Wednesday made public Timilsina and Tamang by organizing a press conference at the Biratnagar-based Province Police Office.

DIG Bastola said that the duo were arrested with the pistol and seven rounds of bullets.

Chaudhary was shot dead near Seuti Bridge of Dharan on June 21.

A group of robbers shot Chaudhary to death in the Charkoshe Jungle while he was returning home in Biratnagar from Mulghat Dhunkuta after celebrating his 28^th birthday.

Incapacitated in the incident, Chaudhary was rushed to the Dharan-based BP Koirala Institute of Health Sciences for treatment. But doctors pronounced him dead on arrival.

Sundari police Chief SP Sambhu Prasad Dhakal said that Timinsina, who had a criminal background, had opened fire on Chaudhary.

Timinsina was released two months ago after serving 10 years in prison on the rape charge.

Similarly, police said that Tamang was released two years ago after serving six months in prison in the drug case.

The gold is being traded at Rs 112, 200 per tola in the domestic market on Friday.

According to the Federation of Nepal Gold and Silver Dealers’ Association, tejabi gold is being traded at Rs 111, 650 per tola.

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

Four persons went missing after a landslide swept away a house at Topatar in Gaurishankar Rural Municipality-7 of Dolakha district on Thursday. Three were rescued in an injured condition.

The landslides damaged half-a-dozen houses in Topatar of Marbu and Salle of Khare and also swept away a concrete bridge in Topataram.

The landslide buried the settlement that fell from a cliff of Khare at around 5 pm yesterday.

According to information provided by Sonam Sherpa, Chairman of Marbu, through telephone, the landslide buried five houses.

The locals said that Yagya Thami, his wife and another person were injured in the incident. They were rescued in an injured state.

Krishna Bahadur Magar (55), his wife Dev Magar (55), Hari Lal Shrestha (55) and three-year-old Price Thami have gone missing.

Chairman Sherpa said that security personnel with the help of locals are searching for them.

Preparations are underway to airlift three persons injured in the incident to the Capital by a helicopter for treatment.

Major political parties have led a number of movements for the establishment and re-establishment of democracy in a space of eight decades. Successive generations of Nepalis have taken part in these movements, offering blood, sweat, toil and tears in their perennial struggle for cherished ideals like democracy, human dignity, the rule of law and good governance. 

Despite waves of change, popular aspirations have remained unrealized, by and large, with the leaders behind these waves of change themselves grossly misusing the organs of the state to fulfill their vested interests. 

Every now and then, the top brass of the big parties remind the public of their struggle against tyranny, including years spent behind bars and torture meted out against them, forgetting completely that one cannot live on their past laurels forever.
But the people often find in the statements and acts of their erstwhile heroes tell-tale signs of dictators donning the garb of democracy. 

Their deepening impression is that the more things change, the more they remain the same—in Nepal. 

Democracy is a culture and a way of life. Who knows this better than the leaders at the forefront of democratic movements?  

But then how many of our ‘champions of democracy’ have been living by their ideals after their victory against tyranny? Select figures of the big parties, for example, have been holding leadership positions for decades on end instead of making way for transfer of power by grooming their successors. Granted that transfer of power to the younger generation was easier said than done during the decade-long insurgency and the royal rule with democratic processes largely on hold. 

But even in the post-conflict scenario, practices aimed at promoting democracy within the respective parties continue to be a rarity.    

Such is the situation that the parties do not even bother to hold their central committee meetings, leave alone general conventions and policy conventions. That’s why, a party holding a meeting becomes big news and so does another party planning its jamboree, in a democracy! 

Having helmed party leadership positions for decades and discharged their duties as the chief executive of the country, it’s time our seasoned politicians did some serious soul-searching and started adopting democracy as a way of life. 

Freeing themselves from the coteries of their kith and kin can help boost internal democracy and so can regular party meetings. 

It’s time for our leaders to practice what they preach, if they really want to protect democracy from the specter of autocracy.  

Chief Secretary Dr Baikuntha Aryal has insisted on the collective efforts to reduce maternal mortality rate acknowledging that the government's sole measures are not sufficient to combat it.

The Chief Secretary said so while addressing 'a high-level policy dialogue on the status of maternal mortality in Nepal and the roles of stakeholders' organized by the Ministry and Health Population on Wednesday.

The achievement in the reduction of maternal mortality rate in recent times was significant, he said. "However, special initiations and actions are needed to meet the target of reducing it to 70 per 100,000 live births by 2030."

He said the capacity enhancement of local levels with the allotment of additional support to them was needed so that they could contribute to meet the target.

Moreover, he underscored the importance of strengthening health institutions and empowering health workers to minimize maternal mortality.

On the occasion, a document containing major findings from a study of maternal mortality rate conducted by the Ministry at the national and provincial levels was released.

The participants of the program stressed the need of prioritizing the issue of maternal mortality and its reduction in the formulation of the 16th Periodic Plan.

They were of the view of introducing and implementing effective strategies against the issue, increasing the effectiveness of the Air Ambulance Program, proper management of skilled human resources in the health sector and the availability of quality health services to achieve the target in the containment of maternal mortality.

Nepal Rastra Bank (NRB) has agreed to provide a refinancing facility to hydropower projects damaged by the recent floods. After a tripartite discussion between Independent Power Producers Association, Nepal (IPPAN), Nepal Bankers Association (NBA), and the NRB on Tuesday, the central bank agreed to refinance the flood-hit hydropower projects throughout the construction period.

During the meeting, IPPAN Chairman Ganesh Karki urged the central bank for refinancing, interest capitalization, and loan restructuring for flood-damaged projects. As some of the flood-hit hydropower projects’ whose required commercial operation date (RCOD) has been exceeded are facing pressure from the bank to pay back the loans, Karki  requested the NRB for an arrangement not to stop the dividend distribution of banks even if the interest of the hydropower project is capitalized.

As per the recent directive issued by the NRB,  banks can show interest income as profit in the investments made on hydropower projects until they begin commercial operation, but such profit cannot be distributed. While restructuring such loans, banks have to do provisioning of 12.5 percent of the total loan amount. Stating that banks are reluctant to lend in hydropower projects due to this provision, IPPAN urged the central bank to allow them (banks) to distribute dividends from the profits made from interest capitalization. 

The NRB Deputy Governor Bam Bahadur Mishra said that the central bank is ready to provide refinance facilities for the flood-damaged hydropower projects throughout the reconstruction period. “The central bank is ready to facilitate the issues of interest capitalization and loan restructuring,” said Mishra. 

Mishra, however, said that the promoters should also invest some funds for the reconstruction of the flood-damaged projects, not just relying on the NRB and banks. “Whether it is by giving the right shares or through other options, the promoter must also invest some money. The rest of the amount will be provided by the central bank and commercial banks,” said Mishra. 

Mishra asked the bankers to facilitate interest capitalization and restructuring of the loans as per the addition of RCOD by the Nepal Electricity Authority. According to Mishra, the central bank will provide necessary Deputy Governor Mishra said that IPPAN should recommend the names of flood-damaged projects, based on which the central bank will provide concessions including refinance facilities. The refinancing will be given for one year, according to Mishra. 

Around three dozen hydropower projects were badly hit by the June 16-17 flood that hit Eastern Nepal. The rain and flood of June 16-17 in four districts damaged 30 hydropower projects creating a loss of Rs 8.5bn. A preliminary study carried out by the IPPAN showed that 30 hydropower projects with a combined capacity of 463 MW were damaged by the floods in Taplejung, Panchthar, Sankhuwasabha, and Bhojpur districts. 

According to IPPAN, of the 30 projects, 17 were under-construction projects. Among the projects that were already operating, the Lower Hewa Khola sustained the biggest loss. The 22.1 MW project has been the worst hit; it suffered a loss of Rs 1bn due to the flood.The IPPAN claimed that the 25 MW Kabeli B-1 Project suffered damage of Rs 500m. In terms of damage to physical infrastructure, the 4.7 MW Upper Piluwa-2 Hydropower Project has been the worst hit. 

According to the IPPAN, 17 under-construction hydropower projects with a combined capacity of 327 MW suffered losses of over Rs 2bn due to floods. Among the under-construction projects, the most damage was seen in the Super Hewa Khola Project with estimated losses of Rs 800m. 

The construction work of the Super Hewa Khola Project was 90 percent completed before the flood hit it badly. 

The government has clarified that it will not form a high-level probe committee to investigate the latest gold smuggling case.

At a time when the main opposition CPN-UML has been obstructing the Parliament proceedings demanding formation of a probe committee, the government on Thursday made it clear that it will not form another committee saying that the ongoing investigation will be affected by it.

Saying that the powerful department of the government is investigating the case, government spokesperson and Minister for Communications and Information Technology Rekha Sharma said that there is no room for suspicion.

She further said that the government is almost getting to the root of the gold smuggling case, urging all not to affect the investigation in the name of another committee.

“Probably, this gold would not have been seized, had the government not been serious. The Department of Revenue Investigation is the powerful department of the government. We believe that forming another committee will hamper the investigation of the Department of Revenue Investigation,” Minister Sharma said during a press conference organized in Singha Durbar on Thursday.

Saying that the government is committed to reaching the root of the gold smuggling, she urged all not to harbor doubt.

“Whatever the government is doing, it is trying to reach the root of the case. The investigation is moving ahead in an effective way. We have to wait for sometime to see the result,” she said.

The Nepal Stock Exchange (NEPSE) gained 3. 00 points to close at 2,089.84 points on Thursday.

Similarly, the sensitive index surged by 1.25 points to close at 399. 54 points.

A total of 5,130,520-unit shares of 262 companies were traded for Rs 1. 78 billion.

Meanwhile, Support Microfinance Bittiya Sanstha Ltd and NIBL Growth Fund were the top gainers today, with their price surging by 10. 00 percent.

Similarly, Progressive Finance Limited was the top loser as its price fell by 5.19 percent.

At the end of the day, total market capitalization stood at Rs 3. 07 trillion.