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The Nagarik Unmukti Party has decided to support the ruling coalition in the Sudurpaschim Province. Unmukti Party Chairperson Ranjita Shrestha said that the party has decided to extend support to the ruling alliance after Prime Minister Pushpa Kamal Dahal and CPN-UML Chairman KP Sharma Oli expressed their commitment to release Resham Chaudhary among others arrested for their suspicious involvement in killing seven police personnel in Tikapur incident. She said that PM Dahal and Oli have promised to release Chaudhary among others within mid-February as a gift of Maghi to Tharus. The Nagarik Unmukti Party had decided not to support the ruling alliance in Sudurpaschim until the release of Chaudhary. Though the Nagaruk Unmukti Party has decided to support the government, it will stay in the opposition, Chairperson Shrestha said. The party has supported the Dahal-led government with conditions in the federal parliament also. Shrestha has said that they would not participate in the government until their demands are met.

CPN-UML leader Lila Giri has been appointed as the Chief Minister of Lumbini Province. Province Chief Amik Sherchen appointed CPN-UML Parliamentary Party leader Giri as the Chief Minister of Lumbini Province. Giri has submitted the claim for the appointment of Chief Minister with the signatures of 58 Province Assembly members. He has the support of 58 lawmakers—29 of UML, 10 of CPN (Maoist Center), four of Rastriya Prajatantra Party, four of Nagarik Unmukti Party, three of Janata Samajbadi Party, three of Janamat Party, three of Democratic Socialist Party and two independent members.    

In what could be described as the 'week of consolidation' in Nepali banking, one more acquisition has taken a logical conclusion on Tuesday. Prabhu Bank on Monday completed its acquisition of Century Commercial Bank to commence the integrated business. Prabhu's acquisition of Century is the first acquisition in the banking sector this year. The last was Nabil Bank's acquisition of the Nepal Bangladesh Bank in 2022. Prabhu Bank started the integrated business five months after signing an acquisition agreement with Century. Both banks signed the acquisition agreement on August 25, 2022, agreeing on a share swap ratio of 1:1. Post-acquisition, the paid-up capital of Prabhu Bank has reached Rs 30 billion while deposits and extension of loans stand at Rs 285 billion and Rs 255 billion. The bank now has a base of three million customers. Addressing a function held to mark the start of integrated business, Prabhu Bank CEO Ashok Sherchan said that the bank has written a new chapter in the Nepali banking sector with this acquisition. Sherchan also promised to further strengthen the new and digital business after acquiring Century Bank. According to him, the bank post-acquisition is in the sixth position in terms of total assets. "In terms of lending, the bank is in the seventh position while in deposit mobilization, the bank is in the sixth position," said Sherchan. Post-acquisition, Prabhu Bank has a seven-member board, of which four are from Prabhu Bank and three from Century Bank. Sherchan has been appointed as the CEO of Prabhu Bank, while Manoj Neupane, CEO of Century Bank, has become the Senior Deputy CEO. Laxmi Bank, Sunrise Bank ink merger deal Laxmi Bank and Sunrise Bank have signed a memorandum of understanding (MoU) for a merger with a swap ratio of 1:1. The MoU was signed by the Chairman of Laxmi Bank, Raman Nepal, and the Chairman of Sunrise Bank, Motilal Dugar on Monday. A merger committee, comprising four members (two each from both banks) has been formed to finalize the merger. The committee includes Dr. Manish Thapa and Swati Rungata from Laxmi Bank, and Sarda Sharma and Deepak Nepal from Sunrise Bank. The merged entity will be named "Laxmi Sunrise Bank", and the swap ratio may change after the due diligence audit (DDA) is completed. Both banks are open to discussions regarding the chief executive officer and board chair of the merged entity. According to the latest financial details, Laxmi Bank has a paid-up capital of Rs 11.55 billion, while Sunrise Bank's paid-up capital is Rs 10.11 billion. Laxmi Bank has also floated a loan of Rs 129 billion, while Sunrise Bank has floated a loan of Rs 119 billion. The deposit collection of Laxmi Bank stands at Rs 140 billion, while that of Sunrise Bank is at Rs 125 billion. The merger committee has stated that both banks are preparing to complete the merger process within this fiscal year and will begin the formal process following a green signal from the central bank. Raman Nepal, the chairman of Laxmi Bank, confirmed that the name of the merged entity will be "Laxmi Sunrise Bank" and that the swap ratio will be fixed only after the DDA is completed.

Janata Samajbadi Party leader Saroj Kumar Yadav has been appointed as the Chief Minister of Madhes Province. Province Chief Hari Shankar Mishra appointed Yadav as the Chief Minister as per Article 168 (2) of the Constitution of Nepal. Yadav submitted the claim with the support of Province Assembly members of CPN-UML, CPN (Maoist Center), Janamat Party, Rastriya Prajatantra Party and Nepal Federal Socialist Party. Apart from them, independent Province Assembly members Surita Sah and Anirudra Singh also supported Yadav. The Janata Samajbadi Party, which is ranked third with 16 Province Assembly members in Madhes Province, has support of 63 Province Assembly members.

The price of gold has dropped by Rs 300 per tola in the domestic market on Wednesday. According to the Federation of Nepal Gold and Silver Dealers’ Association, the yellow bullion is being traded at Rs 103, 200 per tola today. It was traded at Rs 103, 500 per tola on Friday. Meanwhile, tejabi gold is being traded at Rs 102, 700 per tola today. Similarly, the silver is being traded at Rs 1, 365 per tola.

Gandaki Province Chief Minister Khagaraj Adhikari called on Prime Minister Pushpa Kamal Dahal on Wednesday. During the meeting that took place at the Prime Minister's official residence in Baluwatar this morning, Chief Minister Adhikari congratulated Prime Minister Dahal for winning the vote of confidence in the parliament on Tuesday. Prime Minister Dahal also congratulated Adhikari on his appointment as the Chief Minister of Gandaki, according to the Prime Minister's Secretariat. Prime Minister Dahal secured a vote of confidence with an overwhelming majority of the House of Representatives yesterday. Likewise, UML leader Adhikari was appointed as the Chief Minister of Gandaki on Monday with the support of CPN (Maoist Centre).

Sixty-year-old Shanta Majhi, who lives in Samakhusi, Kathmandu, has been working as a taxi driver for the past 27 years. It’s a tiresome and thankless job, he says, but he has persevered because he wants to provide his children the things he never had: parental guidance and a good education. “I have had to struggle for survival since I was nine-years-old,” says Majhi, who was born and raised in Ramechhap, in the Bagmati Province of Nepal. Despite being an only child, he says he had to take care of himself, and going to school was never an option. He had to manage his own expenses, and he worked as a househelp for one of the families in his hometown. “I didn’t have anyone to guide me or show any forms of love or affection,” he says, “I always felt my parents’ absence.” Majhi mentions that although he was fed and had a roof over his head, he was never treated well. “They called me demeaning names, and always behaved badly,” he adds. It wasn’t the kind of life he had hoped for. So Majhi left for Kathmandu, the city of dreams of many people in his hometown, at the age of 21. But life in Kathmandu wasn’t very different from life back home. Finding a decent job turned out to be almost impossible. Fortunately, Majhi landed a job as a mechanic. Next on his wish list was to save enough to be able to start a family. “I dreamt of getting married someday, and having my children run around the house,” he says. It was his way of creating the family he never had as a child. He worked relentlessly for eight years before getting married at the age of 29. His wife worked as a maid. She still does. Majhi laments he hasn’t been able to give her a comfortable life. After 12 years of working as a mechanic, he was finally able to save enough to buy his own taxi. He hoped starting his own business, however small, would enable him to give his family all the things they wanted. By then, Majhi and his wife had had two daughters and a son. “I wanted them to get a good education, which I never got,” he says. Driven by that need, he sent his children abroad for higher education. One of his daughters is now a nurse in Australia, while the other is studying in Malda in West Bengal, India. His son is majoring in graphic designing in Australia. But all this came at a cost. Majhi took out huge loans and is now buried in debt. Although he firmly believes he made the right decision, the amount of money he needs to pay back keeps him up at night. Paying off their loans would be much easier if there weren’t extra expenses they had to take care of, says Majhi. With 15 hours on the road every day, the taxi needs regular repair. The rough, bumpy roads of Kathmandu coupled with the occasional damage by reckless bikers means he has to shell out quite a bit of money to keep his vehicle in a good condition. “Fuel is so costly that it’s hard to make a profit,” he says. The couple’s financial condition worsened during the Covid-19 pandemic. Both of them had to depend on whatever little savings they had, with no job whatsoever during the lockdown. “We relied on the ration distributions and help from some organizations for our daily meal,” he says. Then there are also his health issues that require frequent hospital visits. Majhi is on medication for high blood pressure and liver problems. Since he works for more than half a day, he is also unable to follow a good diet. On top of that, he suffers from anxiety and depression as a result of his traumatic childhood but he confesses he doesn’t want to take medication for it. He says he has lived most of his life in denial about his mental health issues. “At first, I didn’t know what any of those terms meant. I didn’t want to believe those problems even existed,” he says. But now, even when he knows he needs help, he says he doesn’t have the money to go visit a doctor or see a therapist. “People say health should be everyone’s priority but when you are poor, you don’t have that luxury,” he adds. His wife too struggles with anxiety and myalgia. But they need to decide which of their issues is worth spending money on.  Often, one is overlooked in favor of another. “Our eldest daughter helps us out financially in times of need. But in this economy, I want her to think of herself first and not spend all her money on us,” he says. Despite having had a difficult life, he has only one regret. Majhi was so consumed with building a life for his children that he never got to give time for himself. “I had dreams too, which never got fulfilled,” he says. He wanted to build a house for himself in his hometown, Ramechhap, but with the debt he already has, he is now skeptical if he will ever get to live in his own house. Right now, he and his wife live in a rented room for which they have to shell out Rs 6,000 every month. He sometimes wonders how his life would have turned out had his parents not passed away when he was young. He thinks that maybe he could have gotten a degree, and his life would have been completely different. “But there is no point dwelling on it,” he adds. Nevertheless, he feels extremely proud when he thinks about his children. He is filled with a sense of accomplishment. “When I see them happy and doing well in life, I feel like all our struggles have paid off,” he says.

Jhamsikhel, Lalitpur, has many amazing restaurants. Depending on what you are in the mood for, you have a plethora of options. This week, we are recommending you try GG Machaan. The ambience is lovely, and the food is great too.  For starters we suggest the Twakka Makai. It’s fried sweet corn prepared using the chef’s secret recipe. The flavor will remind you of everyone’s favorite chatpate, with chili, onion, and some green salad. Even though the dish is a simple one, it tastes really good.  The next dish we absolutely loved was the Parale Mushroom. It has mushrooms mixed with tomatoes, spices, chili, onion, and capsicum. This dish is apparently a huge hit among vegetarians. Sukuti Sadeko is a must-try for non-vegetarians. The chef definitely knows what he is doing when he serves it with chopped tomatoes, onion, and a sprinkling of fresh coriander leaves as garnish. It was a delight. We are confident you won’t regret trying GG Machaan Special Sukuti. GG Machaan serves a good variety of drinks as well. The bartender says beer and whiskey are what people mostly prefer, especially to go with their special sukuti but there is a wide range of cocktails and mocktails for you to choose from. They also have live music every Friday night, making it a perfect place to visit after a busy week.  Besides their menu, what sets this restaurant apart from others in the area is the ambience of the place. The name GG stands for ‘Go Green’, and ‘machaan’ refers to a tree house. As the name implies, the restaurant strives to create a natural environment. The aim of the management has been to replicate the feeling of being in a jungle—to allow their customers a brief respite from the hustle and bustle of city life.  The seating arrangements are fascinating too. Most of their furniture is made of bamboo, which goes perfectly with the jungle-themed restaurant. It also provides a private cabin for large groups, and the best part is that the cabin is sound proof.  Moreover, the staff are friendly and helpful, and the service is quick and efficient. We definitely recommend GG Machaan if you are looking for a peaceful place where you can relax and recharge during a busy day.   Their Specials

• Twakkai Makai

• Parale Mushroom

• Sukuti Sadeko