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The World Bank’s Board of Executive Directors on Friday approved $100 million in financing for the Nepal Quality Health Systems Program operation. The program will improve the quality of healthcare services and increase the coverage of health insurance, and enhance the capacity of the healthcare system to prepare for and respond to health emergencies in Koshi and Gandaki provinces. The program will be implemented by the Ministry of Health and Population with the coordination of the Health Insurance Board at the federal level, and provincial and local governments in Koshi and Gandaki provinces to help achieve the strategic objectives of Nepal’s Health Sector Strategic Plan, 2022-2030. These include enhancing efficiency and responsiveness of the health system, promoting sustainable financing and social protection in health, and promoting equitable access to quality health services. “The program supports the implementation of federalism and builds on Nepal’s first Program for Results in the health sector to address the challenges of access and quality and to build a resilient public health sector,” said Dr. Feng Zhao, Practice Manager for Health, Nutrition and Population, South Asia Region. “The results achieved under this Program have the potential for scale-up to other provinces.” The financing for the program is complemented by a $3.84 million grant from the Health Emergency Preparedness and Response (HEPR) Trust Fund. The HEPR Trust Fund supports eligible countries and territories to improve their capacities to prepare, prevent, respond, and mitigate the impact of epidemics on populations.

When the night falls Where the night goes We are under the sky Where does our mind go   We are under the shining stars Wishing to go to the mars On our beautiful eyes The billions of stars shines   The moon is a ball of bright It makes me go very light The dark sky shines Feeling like I’m up to the atmosphere lines   Hanifa Banu Class 6 Whitefield Secondary School, Khusibu 

Due to the effects of climate change, earth is suffering from many troubles. The temperature of the earth now is very hot. Due to which the sources of water such as ponds, wells and rivers are becoming dry day by day.  Because of climate change, production of crops is decreasing which is a big problem for us and farmers. So we should use electric vehicles to stop climate change because vehicles that we use from petrol and diesel are polluting the earth. Because of the effects of climate change, new diseases like covid, dengue, have emerged which are killing people day by day. The effects of climate change are industrialization, deforestation. We should reduce water pollution, solid waste and deforestation to save our earth. We should cut down trees less and we should plant more. There are many causes and results of climate change for the existence of life on the earth. Please adopt the following methods: stop deforestation, industrial revolution, plant trees and use less fossil fuel. Prabesh Bhattarai, Class 6 Global Pathshala, Kausaltar 

Games and sports keep one physically and mentally fit. They keep one away from diseases relating to heart, obesity, mental stress and sleeplessness. They instill in the player a spirit of self-confidence, self-reliance, discipline, justice, fair play and patriotism. Games provide us with recreation and enjoyment. It enhances our social skills by teaching us to maneuver different social situations by using a set of skills. It increases the circulation of blood, boosts metabolism, burns calories and improves respiration and digestion. They develop so many good traits in students. They enable people to follow other virtues like discipline, honesty, integrity, loyalty and patriotism. Games are an important part of our life. Schools should give equal importance to games and studies. No doubt, by doing hard work in their studies, they shall get what they want to achieve but at the cost of their health. What's the use of wealth, if there is no health to enjoy that? Today we see children with different health problems. Many of the children are suffering from obesity. This is because of the passive lifestyle the students have adopted. Students should bring balance between their studies and games. Even short games have an important place in life. IN order to get maximum benefit from them, they must be played properly. There should be a balance between games and studies. It is important to note that devoting all time to games at the expense of studies is also not good. Games are very essential for students, IN our schools, however, games and sports are not given much importance. A period of half an hour or forty five minutes should be dedicated to games every day in schools. Some schools dedicate this timing for games once a week only. Children find it difficult to pursue a game in the specified period. Some schools cannot afford funds for sports equipment. Similarly, some schools do not have a playground. Many schools do not employ any physical instructor to guide the children in various games. Even parents want their children to complete their home assignments after school hours rather than play games. They fail to realize that games make children strong both mentally and physically. It is a known fact that a sound mind is the result of a sound body. A person who plays games shows better focus on books than the one who spends an entire day just reading books and doing no other activities. The fact is that academics without any inclusion of games and physical activities are incomplete. The education system needs to be reformed, and equal importance needs to be given to sports and games. Bidisha Shrestha Grade: 9 Campion School, Lagankhel

President Ram Chandra Paudel has been discharged from the hospital on Sunday. Following the discharge, he will return home today, the Office of the President said. President Paudel is scheduled to return home in the regular flight of Nepal Airlines. Doctors involved in the treatment have suggested him to take a complete rest for some weeks. Earlier on April 18, President Paudel was admitted to the Maharajgunj-based Tribhuvan University Teaching Hospital after he complained of stomach pain. He was admitted to the All India Institute of Medical Sciences (AIIMS) in New Delhi on April 19 after preliminary treatment at the TUTH.    

The Nepal Stock Exchange (NEPSE) plunged by 19. 10 points to close at 1,870.66 points on Sunday. Similarly, the sensitive index dropped by 2. 95 points to close at 358. 14 points. A total of 3,206,450-unit shares of 271 companies were traded for Rs 954 billion. Meanwhile, NMC Sulav Investment Fund was the top gainer today with its price surging by 3. 33 percent. Likewise, NIBL Growth Fund was the top loser with its price dropped by 8. 89 percent. At the end of the day, the total market capitalization stood at Rs 2. 72 trillion.

A landslide buried the diversion tunnel of the under-construction Arun-3 Hydropower Project in Makalu Rural Municipality 3 and 5 of Sankhuwasabha district. DSP Birendra Godar, Chief at the District Police Office, Sankhuwasabha, said that the Arun River was blocked after the landslide buried the diversion tunnel this morning. He said that only 25 percent water came out of the tunnel. The Arun River was diverted through a 229-meter-long diversion tunnel. The river was flowing through a diversion tunnel by constructing a temporary dam. DSP Godar said that the river was blocked after the landslide occurred at the place from where the tunnel’s water is released. The water has accumulated in the 18-meter-high dam after the closure of the tunnel. The project said that more than a two-kilometer lake has been formed due to the dam. It will be dangerous if the water accumulates for a long time. The workers of the project have been shifted to a safer place. The project said that attempts are being made to release the water from the tunnel itself.  

A nurse was found hanging in Kathmandu on Saturday. Anuma Shrestha (34), in-charge of the Gastro Medicine Ward in Bir Hospital, was found hanging in the Boharatar-based house of Dr Sujan Dhakal. Dr Dhakal works at the Kanti Child Hospital. SSP Himalaya Kumar Shrestha, spokesperson at the Kathmandu Valley Police Office, Rani Pokharai, confirmed that Shrestha was found hanging in the house of Dr Dhakal. “Shrestha was found hanging in the house of Dr Dhakal. Further investigation into the incident is underway,” he said. According to a preliminary investigation, Dhakal has been staying outside Kathmandu for the past two months. Dhakal’s family informed police after they found Shrestha dead. Police said that they have found a suicide note from the incident site. It has been learnt that Dhakal and Shrestha were in a relationship for a long time.