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The lumpy skin disease has been spreading across the country at an alarming rate in recent days. The disease has already killed 21,000 cattle throughout the country, according to the Animal Service Department. Thus far, the disease has spread in 71 districts, infecting 555,000 cattle, with the rate of infection particularly high in mid-hilly and hilly regions of Karnali, Lumbini and Koshi Province, per the Animal Service Department. According to Nepal Veterinary Council, the mortality rate of the infection is 3.8 percent and there is a loss of Rs 49,135 per animal in the country. Animal deaths resulting from this disease have already caused a loss of NRs 27.22bn. In the absence of timely treatment, the disease could spread in 25,26,000 animals, resulting in the death of 100,000 cows and buffalos, and causing a total loss of NRs 1.26 trillion, per the council. This estimated loss is equivalent to 7.2 percent of the total budget allocated for this fiscal. An eruptive, occasionally fatal disease of cattle characterized by nodules on the skin and other parts of the body, lumpy skin is caused by a virus belonging to the Poxviridae family. Morbidity rate of the infection is usually 5-45 percent and mortality rate is usually less than 10 percent, according to the Central Veterinary Laboratory. As the disease can easily transmit from one animal to the other, the infected animal should be kept separate from healthy animals. Such animals should not be taken for grazing with healthy ones, for bathing together in the ponds and should not be taken to local markets and other crowded places, the Animal Service Department has suggested. As for the treatment regimen for the virus-borne disease, it  should be based on symptoms. The infected cattle should be given sufficient water, soft grass, and electrolyte liquids. Lack of proper and timely care increases chances of the infected cattle’s death, warns the department, pointing that calves, oxen, cattle giving high amounts of milk as well as pregnant cows and buffalos are susceptible. There are 74,13,197 cows and 51,32,931 buffalos in the country. The disease has not been detected in sheep and goats. Also, there is no evidence of the disease’s transmission into humans from animals, according to the department. Some of the symptoms of the disease are nasal and ocular discharge, discharge of mucopurulent (containing mucus and pus) with progression of the disease, fever, swelling of joints, swollen superficial lymph nodes, sharp reduction in milk production and formation of skin nodules all over the body. Damaged skin and hides, fertility problems and death are some of the impacts of the disease along with increased treatment costs. The Central Veterinary Laboratory has suggested vector population control, hygienic measures in the farms, awareness campaign and vaccination as preventive and control measures. The first case of the disease was reportedly detected in Nepal in 2020. Symptoms

• Nasal and ocular discharge
• Discharge of mucus and pus with progression of the disease
• Fever
• Swollen joints and superficial lymph nodes
• Sharp reduction in milk production
• Formation of skin nodules all over the body

As many as 81 local units across the country have implemented a ‘reintegration program’ aimed at creating an environment for returnee migrant workers to invest capital and skills acquired abroad within the country. Under the program, returnee migrant workers are provided with assistance worth Rs 43,000 to start their ventures. Of this amount, Rs 8,000 is allocated for training purposes, and the remaining Rs 35,000 for their ventures. So far, 3,260 returnee migrant workers have enrolled for the program in 81 local units. According to the Employment Promotion Board (EPB), these individuals are now enterprise-oriented. The local units are required to invest at least 20 percent per person. “The EPB provides Rs 43,000 per person, while the local units have to invest at least 20 percent of that amount,” said Rajan Paudel, the information officer of the EPB. “Although the money is not sufficient to start a large-scale business, it will be enough to start entrepreneurship with coordination from the concerned local unit.” Minister for Labor, Employment, and Social Security Sharat Singh Bhandari said although the ministry was providing different compensations for migrant workers, this is the first program targeted at returnee migrant workers. The objective of this program is to utilize the capital, skills, technology, and experience acquired during employment by people returning from foreign employment for the development and promotion of entrepreneurship in Nepal. The cabinet endorsed the Reintegration Program Guidelines in June last year to facilitate the implementation of the program. Based on this regulation, 81 local units started the program in April this year, according to Dwarika Upreti, the executive director of the EPB. “The program was initiated with the aim of creating an environment for returnee migrant workers to invest the skills and money earned abroad in the country, so that people do not have to migrate abroad again,” Upreti added. According to Upreti, only 81 local units applied to the EPF to implement the program. While Dharan Sub-metropolitan City has enrolled 40 returnee migrant workers in the program, Phidim has 60, and Ilam and Khadananda municipalities have 40 each. Chandra Bahadur Rokaha, the past president of the Returnee Federation Nepal, believes that although this program alone is not sufficient for the reintegration of migrant workers into Nepali society, it seems to be of some help. Likewise, Uttam Adhikari, President of Returnee Migration Nepal, said the reintegration guidelines fall short of meeting the expectations of the migrant workers. “No one from the target group was on the team that drafted these guidelines,” he said. Similarly, Tej Prasad Subedi, the general secretary of All Nepal Migrant Workers Forum, said there should be no further delay in utilizing the skills acquired by Nepalis abroad to build a better nation. “We have repeatedly submitted suggestions to the government regarding the citizens who are employed abroad and those who have returned. Hopefully, the government will take action now,” he added. Returnee migrant workers, who have benefited from the program, have said that the program is very effective. “I have learned a lot about entrepreneurship from the training,” said Lal Bahadur Budha Chhetri of Nepalgunj Sub-metropolitan City. Chhetri returned to Nepal after spending 15 years in Qatar. Some local units, however, seem confused as this program is being implemented in Nepal for the first time.

A meeting of the National Assembly has been postponed till Friday. National Assembly Chairman Ganesh Prasad Timilsina postponed the meeting till 12: 29 pm tomorrow following the obstruction from the main opposition CPN-UML. The UML lawmakers have been obstructing the meeting of the House of Representatives and National Assembly since Wednesday demanding resignation of Prime Minister Pushpa Kamal Dahal over his remarks. Soon after the commencement of the meeting, the UML lawmakers demanded resignation of Prime Minister Dahal for the second day on Thursday also. UML lawmaker Bhairav Sundar Shrestha said that the Prime Minister’s remarks undermined the prestige and dignity of the country. During a function to launch a book on Monday, Prime Minister Dahal had said that Pritam Singh visited New Delhi several times to make him the prime minister. “His statement is condemnable,” Shrestha said. He said that the Prime Minister, who works at the behest of India, is not acceptable.

The draft of the detailed project report (DPR) of the Raxaul-Kathmandu Cross-Border Railway Project has been handed over to Nepal. India handed over the draft DPR to the Ministry of Physical Infrastructure and Transport (MoPIT) this week. According to MoPIT officials, the southern neighbor will submit the final DPR to the Nepal government after incorporating suggestions from Nepal. The ministry’s spokesperson Bhimarjun Adhikari acknowledged that the draft DPR of the Raxaul-Kathmandu Railway Project has been received from India. “The draft DPR has been sent mainly seeking suggestions from Nepal,” said Adhikari, “We will submit it to the Railway Department who will study the report and make suggestions. Based on that, India will finalize the DPR and submit it to us.” India’s Konkan Railway Corporation Limited (KRCL) has been doing the DPR of the railway project which will connect Kathmandu with the Indian border town of Raxaul in the south. As per the memorandum of understanding (MoU) signed between Nepal and India on October 8, 2021, the detailed project report of the project should have been completed within 18 months, i.e., by mid-April, 2023. The Indian side has submitted the draft DPR two and half months later than the stipulated time. India has already given the report of the preliminary engineering and traffic survey of this railway to Nepal. According to the preliminary report prepared by KRCL, the length of the proposed Raxaul-Kathmandu railway will be 136 kilometers. As per the initial report of the Konkan Railway, a total of Rs 320bn will be required to build the broad-gauge Kathmandu-Raxaul Railway. Once completed, the broad-gauge line will give the Nepali capital a direct connection with the Indian railway network, enabling non-stop train travel to all Indian cities. The initial report of the project has shown that there will be 32 tunnels, with the longest would be eight kilometers long. The 136-kilometer-long railway project would have 40 kilometers of tunnelway and 35 small and large bridges. The preliminary study has shown that there will be 13 stations on the railway line. After receiving the DPR, the discussion about the modality of construction of the project will begin, according to the ministry officials. Nepal has been requesting India to build the project with a grant. Nepal and India had agreed to construct a cross-border electrified railway connecting Raxaul and Kathmandu during the then Prime Minister KP Sharma Oli’s India visit in April 2018. The two countries, in August 2018, exchanged a memorandum of understanding to carry out a preliminary engineering-cum-traffic survey of the broad-gauge line. With the submission of the draft DPR by India, the basis for the construction of this project has now been set. Once construction is completed, the railway line will provide Nepal with direct access to the huge Indian market. The electric railway line will also help replace fuel-based transportation, saving huge amounts of money being spent on the import of fuel, according to ministry officials. After the construction of the railway, goods can be transported directly to Kathmandu from India and third countries.  

With the deadline to repay the loans ending in mid-July, the Pokhara-based Fulbari Resort & Spa has again sought a nine-month time extension. Piyush Bahadur Amatya, chairman of Fulbari Resort has recently written to Nepal Bank Limited seeking nine-month time to repay the loans. Nepal Bank, in the second week of November 2022, had given a deadline of mid-July, 2023 to Fulbari Resort to pay the loans. An agreement was reached between the bank and Amatya to pay the principal and interest of the loans by mid-July, 2023. Amatya has promised to pay Rs 2.75bn to the bank if the loan payment period is extended by another nine months. However, Nepal Bank has not decided on Amatya’s request. The bank’s CEO Krishna Bahadur Adhikari said that they are currently discussing Amatya’s proposal. “The deadline given to Amatya is ending in mid-July. But he hasn’t paid any loan during this period,” said Adhikari, “We have forwarded his (Amatya’s) proposal to the bank board.” A consortium of banks led by Nepal Bank had given loans worth Rs 1.31bn to construct the five-star property in the mid-90s. Mired in financial difficulties, Fulbari Resort has not paid the regular installment and interest of the loan for more than a decade. According to CEO Adhikari, if the Nepal Bank board decides on a time extension, the resort will get additional time to pay back the loans. “Otherwise, we will initiate the auction process,” he said. The resort owes nearly Rs 4bn of loans taken from Nepal Bank as well as Rastriya Banijya Bank, and the Employees’ Provident Fund. As the lead bank, Nepal Bank had initiated the auctioning of the hotel in the last fiscal year. But Amatya went to court to stop the process. However, the Patan High Court in the first week of August 2022 issued an order in favor of the bank, allowing it to proceed with the auction. The 165-room five-star hotel was one of its kind properties in Nepal when it began operation in the late 90s. The resort came into operation in 1998 when Nepal was celebrating the Visit Nepal year 98. Established to cater the high-end tourists, the hotel has its own golf course also. Four years ago, Amatya and Nepal Bank signed an agreement to reopen the resort after it was shut down in 2017 following a labor dispute. At that time, Amatya committed to repay the bank loan and take the remaining money by selling the land owned by the resort. In 2019, the resort decided to reopen under new management. The Nepal Bank agreed to debt restructuring after the resort decided to bring in Marriott International to manage the hotel. However, the outbreak of the Covid-19 pandemic spoiled the plan.  

The price of gold has increased by Rs 100 per tola in the domestic market on Thursday. According to the Federation of Nepal Gold and Silver Dealers’ Association, the precious yellow metal is being traded at Rs 110, 700 per tola today. It was traded at Rs 110, 600 per tola on Wednesday. Meanwhile, tejabi gold is being traded at Rs 110, 150 per tola. Similarly, the price of silver has increased by Rs 15 and is being traded at Rs 1,395 per tola today.

Two persons died on the spot and 18 others were injured, one seriously when a moving bus came in contact with a live wire at Chorkhola in Kapurkot Rural Municipality-3 of Salyan. Gopal Shrestha, spokesperson at the District Police Office, Salyan, said that the two passengers died on the spot when the bus (Ra 1 Kha 834) heading towards Rolpa from Tulsipur, Dang touched the wire of 33 KV transmission line. The injured are undergoing treatment at the Kapurkot Health Post in Salyan, he said.  

The National Examinations Board (NEB) is set to publish the Secondary School Examination (SEE) results today. The Board said its preparations to publish the SEE results has come to a final stage. With this, the results would be published by Thursday evening, the Board sources said. Examination Controller of the Examination Control Office Bishnu Narayan Shrestha said that technical works, including computer data entry and re-checking are being carried out after completing answer-sheets checking. "We have come to a final stage to publish the SEE results by this evening. The results would be published today itself if technical problems did not come along", he said. The Board has decided to publish the results as per the system adopted in 2072 BS. NEB Chairperson Dr Mahashram Sharma said that the Board has made arrangements for easily accessing SEE results to be published today. Students can access the results through websites, SMS and IVR. One can dial up 1600 to access the SEE results, the Board said. Also, the results are accessible through the NEB and Nepal Telecom websites. One can dial 1600, 31003, 34949, 35001 and 31064 to get results through SMS. The results would be accessible through www.see.gov.np, www.neb.gov.np, www.see.ntc.net.np, www.khaltif\.com, www.neemaacademy.com, www.ekantipur.com, www.theconncetplus.com, www.see.edusanjal.com, www.admissionnepal.com, www.seenicasiabank.com, www.neemaaacademy.com, www.mypay.com.np, www.nepaleducatipnportal.com, www.ayoresult.com, ww.results.matra education.com, www.tuteeline.com.