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The Budhi Ganga Hydropower Project, originally scheduled for completion by 2025, is now expected to take an additional four years. The project was initially planned to be completed within 42 months of the contract signing, but the contracting process is yet to be finalized.

The procurement process for civil and hydro-mechanical works is currently in its final stage. Project Chief Surendra Ghimire said a letter of intent has been issued after evaluating the bids, and the draft contract has been sent to the donor agency for approval. This is the fourth round of bidding, as the previous bids were canceled during the pre-qualification stage. The 20 MW semi-reservoir project will be constructed in Achham.

The project was designed in 1997 by Canadian International Water and Energy Consultants, with support from Metcon Consultants. A loan agreement was signed between the Government of Nepal, the Saudi Development Fund, and the Kuwaiti Fund for Arab Economic Development, valid through 2025. Saudi Arabia agreed to provide a loan at two percent interest, and the Kuwaiti Fund at 0.5 percent.

The donor agencies are involved in every procurement stage. Recently, the draft agreement was sent for approval on 28 April 2025, after responding to two rounds of queries from the donors.

Ghimire said that the project has been focused on studies and land acquisition. Much of the documentation was lost during the Maoist attack on Mangalsen during the conflict, leading to delays in land surveying and verification. “Main construction hasn’t begun, and no contract has been awarded yet. A significant amount of time has been consumed in the preparatory phase. We had to remeasure lands as government agencies had lost original records,” said Ghimire. The Ministry of Finance must also approve funding sources, as the government is a project partner.

Due to time overruns, project costs have risen. Originally, the total estimated cost for civil and hydro-mechanical works (Lot-1), electro-mechanical works (Lot-2), and transmission line (Lot-3) was Rs 9bn. The revised estimate has increased the total cost to Rs 14bn. However, after transferring responsibility for the transmission line to the National Transmission Grid Company, the cost of civil and electro-mechanical works alone is now estimated at Rs 9bn. The Ministry of Finance must again provide source approval for these revised costs.

The loan agreement, initially valid until 2025, has been extended to 2027 due to delays. Ghimire said the project is prepared to request a further extension if necessary.

The project will now be implemented under a multi-year EPC (Engineering, Procurement, and Construction) contract, divided into three packages. Revisions to the detailed engineering design and environmental impact assessment have already been completed.

In the current fiscal year, only 15.39 percent of the allocated Rs 96.55m budget has been spent. According to the Ministry of Finance, the capital expenditure rate so far is 30.73 percent, with only 0.05 percent specifically utilized for the project.

To date, the project has completed several preparatory tasks. These include the environmental study of the transmission line and dam site, construction of office and residential buildings, establishment of the campsite and the Chapartola Substation in Doti, acquisition of 327 ropanis of land, and the construction of an access road and bridge.

A wild elephant has been found dead in a maize field near the Kaushiki Community Forest at Brahakshetra of Sunsari.

Brahakshetra Municipality Mayor Ramesh Karki said that locals informed them about the incident in the morning today.

According to Karki, it is a male elephant that is around five to seven years old. The cause of the elephant's death is not known.

The District Forest Office, Sunsari, along with the Koshi Tappu Wildlife Reserve team, is investigating the cause of the elephant's death, said Mayor Karki.

Vehicles will be able to operate along the flyover at Gwarko in Lalitpur after four days.

With the completion of the main structure of the flyover, the Department of Roads is now preparing for the operation of vehicles, said Deep Barahi, the head of the Quality Research and Development Center.

Prime Minister KP Sharma Oli is scheduled to inaugurate the flyover on June 20.

Last Saturday, Infrastructure and Transport Minister Devendra Dahal, along with the officials of the Department of Roads, carried out a field inspection and gave instructions to prepare for the operation of vehicles.

After the construction of the main structure, the placement of lane separators, lining, and other works have been completed, making it possible for vehicles to operate.

Nepal Electricity Authority (NEA) has resumed the export of 40 MW of electricity to Bangladesh via India. Power from Nepal to Bangladesh was exported for the first time for 12 hours on July 15 last year. It resumed from June 15 this year.

A power sale agreement had been signed between NEA, Bangladesh Power Development Board and NTPC Vidyut Vyapar Nigam Limited of India last year, which led to export of electricity for only 12 hours last year.  Nepal has been exporting excess electricity during the rainy season to neighboring India for five months every year. This year, starting today, NEA will export electricity to Bangladesh for the next five months, until Nov 15.

Subarna Sapkota, deputy manager of the NEA Electricity System Control Department, shared that 146.88m units of electricity will be exported in five months. The government will earn Rs 1.29bn in five months through the sale of electricity.  The selling rate of electricity exported under the agreement is 6.4 US cents per unit. 

The electricity will be supplied to the Bhermara substation in Bangladesh via Muzaffarpur, Behrampur, India from Nepal’s 400 kV Dhalkebar substation. Meanwhile, the NEA has continued its electricity exports to neighboring India and started exporting the green electricity to the Indian state of Haryana from this year. It had been exporting 185 MW of electricity since June 1, which increased to 200 MW from Saturday. As per the agreement between Nepal and India, the selling rate of this electricity export is InRs 5.25 per unit.

NEA has also started exporting 80 MW to the Indian state of Bihar since 12 last night. In addition, additional electricity is being purchased and sold in the Indian market through the Dhalkebar-Muzaffarpur 400 kV and 132 kV transmission lines. As electricity generation in Nepal has increased with the onset of the rainy season, the surplus electricity is being exported to India and Bangladesh.

Iranian missiles struck Israel’s Tel Aviv and the port city of Haifa before dawn on Monday, destroying homes and fuelling concerns among world leaders at this week’s G7 meeting that the confrontation could lead to a broader regional conflict, Reuters reported.

At least five people were killed in the latest Iranian strikes, the national emergency service said, raising Israel’s death toll to 18 since Friday. At least 100 more were wounded in the overnight blitz, part of a wave of attacks by Tehran in retaliation for Israel’s pre-emptive strikes targeting the nuclear and ballistic missile programs of sworn enemy Iran.

Search and location operations were underway in Haifa where around 30 people were wounded, emergency authorities said, as dozens of first responders rushed to the strike zones. Fires were seen burning at a power plant near the port, media reported, according to Reuters.

The 11th Chure Conservation Day is being observed today by organizing various programmes.

The Day is being observed to mark the establishment of President Chure-Terai Madhesh Conservation Development Committee.

The main function was organized in Kawaswoti of Nawalparasi (Bardaghat Susta East) in the presence of President Ram Chandra Paudel today.

It may be noted that the Committee was established in 2079 BS aiming at contributing to poverty alleviation through natural resource conservation, sustainable management and ecosystem protection in Chure.

Since its establishment, the Committee has reported that it has worked to control landslides, streams and gully in 1,459 locations, expand multi-year crops over 166 hectares of steep agrarian land, run a greenery promotion programme over 5,230 hectares, and produce and distribute 2.93 million saplings.

Furthermore, it has constructed 412 kilometers of riverbank walls, established 162 hectares of green belts, and or restored 139 wetland ponds, built rainwater collection ponds, and conserved 548 water sources.

Additionally, nearly 1.5 billion rupees have been spent in the name of Chure conservation. The Committee has spent 14.96 billion rupees up to the fiscal year 2080-81.

The Committee having its central office in Lalitpur has been working throughout the country by setting up programme implementation units in Salakpur, Janakpur, Chitwan, Butwal, and Lamki.

The gold is being traded at Rs 197, 500 per tola in the domestic market on Monday.

According to the Federation of Nepal Gold and Silver Dealers’ Association, the price of silver, however, has increased by Rs 75 and is being traded at Rs 2, 165 per tola today.

As tensions flare in the Middle East following Iran’s counterattack on Israel, concern has grown over the safety of Nepali citizens living in the region. Bhupal Luitel spoke with Nepali Ambassador to Israel, Dhan Prasad Pandit, to understand the current situation on the ground, the status of Nepalis there, the embassy’s contingency plans, and the latest updates on Bipin Joshi, the Nepali national who has been missing since the Hamas attack in Oct 2023. Excerpts:

We’ve heard a state of emergency was declared after the counterattacks between Israel and Iran began. What is the current situation there now?

The attack began at 3 pm local time here. Even as I am speaking to you, sirens continue to sound intermittently. The first missile attack on Tel Aviv took place at 9 pm. Then, from 1-2 am to 3-4 am, the attack continued with loud noise. The situation here is fine as of 7 am. People are rushing to bunkers within 90 seconds of the siren and remain there for at least 10 minutes. After Israel launched its attack on Iran, there have been reports of hundreds of drones being launched in response, most of which have been intercepted by Israel’s ‘Iron Dome’ defense system. Since the incident began, I’ve been in frequent contact with Nepali government officials and members of the Nepali community, regularly updating them on the situation here.

How many Nepalis are there, and what is their situation?

Neither the Nepali government nor the embassy has accurate data on the actual number of Nepalis in Israel. While the official records only those who came through the G2G (government-to-government) mechanism, there are also Nepalis who arrived via India using Indian passports. Even though they are not counted in official statistics, they continue to send remittances to Nepal—so for practical purposes, they should be considered. This discrepancy makes it difficult to assess the actual number. However, if we include both legal and undocumented individuals, the estimated number of Nepalis in Israel ranges between 5,000 and 7,000. We have contacted the Nepalis and asked them to take help from us but 99 percent of the Nepalis said that they don’t want us to rescue them. There are two reasons for this. One is the job with an attractive salary and the other is the situation where you will not be able to return and get the same job here.
 

As for the current situation, there is no immediate reason for panic among the Nepali community, but discipline and preparedness are crucial. The most important thing is to strictly follow the safety protocols—this includes immediately going to the bunker when sirens sound, avoiding unnecessary movement outside, and especially refraining from going out during times of active crisis.

It’s difficult to assess how the war will unfold. If it escalates further, what preparations has the embassy made?

We are in constant communication with the Nepali government, Nepali citizens in Israel, and their families back home. If the situation escalates into a full-scale war, our response will be limited by our capabilities and available resources. In such a scenario, we would also seek support from neighboring countries. I am currently in touch with ambassadors from Cyprus, India, Thailand, and others to make contingency plans in case a rescue operation becomes necessary for Nepalis.
 

Recently, a delegation including Biratnagar Metropolitan City Mayor Nagesh Koirala arrived here amidst much confusion. I met with him and helped facilitate their return to Nepal via Cyprus. At the same time, I’ve come across Nepalis who have only recently arrived in Israel. Many of them are facing challenges—from not understanding Hebrew to feeling unsafe in older bunkers. I’m working with local officials to ensure they receive the support they need.
 

We have already issued an advisory to all Nepalis here. However, if the war intensifies significantly, I must honestly say that our capacity to evacuate all Nepalis is extremely limited. For comparison, India has around 30,000 to 35,000 citizens here, and it is unlikely they could evacuate everyone at once. Sri Lanka has a similar number, the Philippines about 30,000, and China around 40,000. In such a crisis, every country faces limitations.

We have no choice but to seek international assistance if needed. That said, Nepal has a history of stepping up during crises. If evacuation becomes impossible, the best course of action would be for Nepalis to remain in safe shelters with adequate supplies of food, water, and essentials

It has been about six months since you arrived in Israel as an ambassador. What is the status of Bipin Joshi?

As of now, we still do not have any clear information regarding the status of Bipin Joshi. The Israeli government does not know, nor does the local army. Of the remaining three hostages, Hamas recently returned the body of a Thai citizen who had reportedly died back in December 2023. A Nigerian hostage has also been confirmed dead, and there are reports that his body is being prepared for return. But when it comes to Joshi’s status, I truly cannot say anything beyond this at this point.