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Home Minister Ramesh Lekhak has said the post-quake reconstruction efforts have been intensified.

In the 29th meeting of the Disaster Risk Reduction and Management Executive Committee held in Singha Durbar today, the Minister said the post-quake reconstruction efforts in Jajarkot, Doti and Bajhang have been accelerated following the assessment of losses.

Similarly, preparations are on to open an implementation unit of the Reconstruction and Restoration Project in these three districts.

Doti was hit by the November 9, 2022 quake, Bajhang by the October 3, 2023 tremor and Jajarkot was affected by the November 3, 2023 quake.

The past six months were spent in assessing the details of losses comprehensively, formulating criteria for the reconstruction of private houses, drafting regulations and for the budget management, according to the Minister.   

It is said the Ministry has come up with an action plan to implement the reconstruction efforts effectively.

The Nepal Stock Exchange (NEPSE) gained 49.15 points to close at 2,815.04 points on Thursday.

Similarly, the sensitive index surged by 9.75 points to close at 469. 82 points.

A total of 26,199,780-unit shares of 300 companies were traded for Rs 11. 39 billion.

Meanwhile, Guardian Micro Life Insurance Limited (GMLI) and Upper Hewakhola Hydropower Company Limited (UHEWA) were the top gainers today, with their price surging by 10. 00 percent.

Likewise, Bhugol Energy Development Company Limited (BEDC) was the top loser as its price fell by 7.17 percent.

At the end of the day, total market capitalization stood at Rs 4. 67 trillion.

Prime Minister KP Sharma Oli has said that activities like spreading politics of hatred by dismantling social norms and creating mistrust in the family itself would be controlled.

Inaugurating an international conference on digital crime organized by the Office of the Attorney General today, Prime Minister Oli said that digital technology should be used for human happiness and prosperity. He said the government has brought the laws for checking indecency that brews an anomaly in society in the name of exercising rights.

Making it clear that the government would not enact any law that would affect the right to use social media, he said necessary amendments would be made after reviewing the constitution in the event of 10 years of its implementation.

PM Oli stressed on the need for exchange of international cooperation in the digital age as crime control is not effective with the lone efforts of any one country alone.

He opined that crimes can be committed either using digital technology or not, and the facility of using electronic technology for crime investigation would facilitate exchange of international cooperation in crime control.

Stating that controlling crime has become challenging for a civilized society due to the misuse of science and technology as it provides convenience to people making their life comfortable and easier, PM Oli said the government was clear that all human beings should get facilities in a democracy.

"The 20th century has given new inventions. But it has also been misused. Organized efforts have been made in the field of crime. We should use AI and digital technology to create a situation where crimes cannot be committed, and even if a crime is committed, we should be able to conduct an objective investigation and ensure fair justice," he said.

Noting that the digital technology was not only used for good purposes, but was also being misused in criminal acts, he said conferences such as this one would play a pivotal role in checking crime and handing effective justice.

Stating that good governance and exercise of social and economic rights of the people are necessary to achieve the national goal of 'Prosperous Nepal, Happy Nepali', PM Oli, however, said that none of these rights should be misused.

"Development has taken place but we are not satisfied with the current level of development. We cannot achieve good governance and prosperity through any disorder. We want to move ahead to make the people empowered on their organic and basic rights in every way. We want a total democracy. All our social arrangements should establish a system of human happiness and easy supply. We will make the efforts to move the country forward from backwardness successful," PM Oli reiterated.

Attorney General Ramesh Badal said digital use is on the rise among criminal cases and misuse of social media as well as digital fraud, financial crimes and data security are challenging.

PM's Principal Political Advisor Bishnu Prasad Rimal, Senior-most Judge in the Supreme Court, Sapana Pradhan Malla, the Chief Commissioner for the Investigation of Abuse of Authority (CIAA), Prem Kumar Rai, General Counsel of International Association of Prosecutors, Shenaz Muzaffer, among other officials also attended the conference.

The Ministry of Health and Population has urged one and all not to advertise and promote tobacco products in the name of festivals.

Stating that the involvement of producers of tobacco products has been noticed and found in some festivals and cultural gatherings, the Ministry urged one and all to refrain from such activities.

Ministry Spokesperson Dr Prakash Budhathoki reminds that the Tobacco Products (Control and Regulation) Act, 2068 BS (2011) prohibits the advertisement, promotion, or sponsorship of tobacco products in any form. This includes dissemination through newspapers, electronic media (radio, television, FM, internet, email), interaction programs, hoardings, wall paintings, logos, signage, writing, visuals, audio, or through any other media. "Violating these provisions is punishable by law," he said.

Budhathoki urged the public to not seek the sponsorship of tobacco manufacturers in public events, bearing in mind the consequences of consumption of tobacco products in human health including their economic, social and cultural lives.

The spokesperson added that the effective implementation of the Act, relevant regulations and the directives will contribute to preventing diseases to be caused by tobacco consumption, reducing mortality rates and improving public health.

Anyone who notices violations of the Act is encouraged to report them to the Ministry through the 'Hello Health Call Center' at 1115 (available from 8 am to 8 pm) or via Viber and WhatsApp at 9851330592.

The Road Division Office Bhaktapur has terminated the contract of under-construction Dhulikhel-Khawa road section along the Araniko Highway.

In a public notice issued today, the office informed that the contract for the four-kilometer road, which is under expansion, has been canceled.

A meeting of the Office held on Tuesday had decided to terminate the contract of the road.

Gauri Parbati Construction Service Pvt Ltd was awarded the contract for the construction of the road from Dhulikhel to Khawa, the district headquarters, for Rs 201.946 million.

The construction could not be completed even after 11 months of the deadline due to delay in the construction by the contractor company.

The deans and associate deans of seven schools at Kathmandu University have urged the selection committee to recommend candidates for the position of vice-chancellor based on merit.  

In a joint statement, they called for the selection process to adhere strictly to the established procedure.

The selection committee includes KU’s founding Vice-chancellor Suresh Raj Sharma as chair, with Arjun Karki and former secretary Janardan Nepal as members. Interviews for the ten shortlisted candidates were completed on Feb 14 and 15, but no recommendation has been made due to disagreements among committee members.

The deans and associate deans have raised concerns over alleged attempts to manipulate the scores of shortlisted candidates. “There are claims that candidate scores are being altered and new conditions are being introduced, making it difficult for committee members to reach a consensus. We hope that the committee will refute such claims by recommending three names based on the approved process and criteria as soon as possible,” the statement read.

The selection committee was formed after Vice-chancellor Bhola Thapa’s tenure ended on Jan 20. However, disagreements among the three committee members have delayed the recommendation process.

The shortlisted candidates for the vice-chancellorship are Achyut Wagle, Kanhaiya Jha, Janardan Lamichhane, Bal Chandra Luitel, Bibhuti Ranjan Jha, Bedmani Dahal, Bhola Thapa, Rajendra Prasad Koju, Shyam Narayan Labh, Bim Prasad Shrestha, Dhiraj Giri and Subodh Sharma.

Meanwhile, eight candidates for the position of university vice-chancellor have appealed to Chancellor and Prime Minister KP Oli for a merit-based selection.  

Though formed two-and-a-half months ago, the selection committee has not yet recommended any names. Consequently, Vice-chancellor candidates Bal Chandra Luintel, Hari Prasad Neupane, Kanhaiya Jha, Bibhuti Ranjan Jha, Bedmani Dahal, Shyam Narayan Labh, Bim Prasad Shrestha and Dhiraj Giri have turned to Prime Minister and university Chancellor Oli for intervention.  

Even though two weeks have passed since the completion of all selection procedures, the committee members have yet to arrive at a consensus. “The Vice-chancellor Search and Recommendation Committee has completed all the selection processes as per its own procedures, yet the university remains without a vice-chancellor. Meanwhile, the coordinator of the committee has given two interviews expressing contradictory views. These interviews have highlighted several underlying issues,” states the letter addressed to Prime Minister Oli.  

The letter further states, “Professors who have dedicated years of service to the university and held key positions are now uncertain about what language to use to correct the coordinator’s perspective, as he seems to believe only his preferred candidate will serve the university’s best interests.”

The candidates have urged the Prime Minister to facilitate the recommendation process as per established procedures. “The committee’s own plan and directive were to recommend three candidates with the highest scores to the Chancellor. However, after the selection criteria were established and certain candidates did not even rank third, the coordinator’s attempts to manipulate the process and push for certain recommendations are inappropriate,” the letter states.  

The Vice-chancellor candidates have requested the Prime Minister to expedite the process. “The coordinator must be reminded to follow the procedures and criteria set by his own committee. Since he has also sought the Chancellor’s role in facilitating the recommendation process through the media, we request necessary support to ensure a swift conclusion of the selection process,” the letter concludes.

Annapurna Media Network will be the media partner of UbuCon Aisa 2025, an international IT conference.

An agreement was reached on Thursday to be the official media partner of the conference during a ceremony held at the Tinkune-based headquarters of Annapurna Media Network.

AMN General Manager Manoj Basnet, Senior Marketing Manager Binod Koirala and UbuCon Nepal Chairman Aditya Singh, Secretary Roshan Pandey, Marketing Head Yush Pokharel jointly signed the agreement.

“We are proud to hold the international conference of IT UbuCon Asia in Nepal,” UbuCon Nepal Chairman Aditya Singh said, adding, “At the same time, we are more than happy that Annapurna Media has supported the young IT engineers.”

According to him, around 500 coding and software developers and IT company managers from across the world will take part in the event.

Open Source experts will also participate in the conference.

The event will be held in Kathmandu on August 30-31. This conference is the fourth edition.

It has already been held in South Korea, Indonesia and India.

Life insurers have collected more than Rs 96.01bn in insurance premium over the first seven months of fiscal year 2024/25. According to Nepal Insurance Authority (NIA), the insurance sector regulator, 14 life insurance companies collected Rs 95.38bn in premium in the review period, while three micro insurers doing life insurance business collected Rs 625.2m in premium during the review period.

These companies collected Rs 14.83bn in premium in the seventh month (mid-January to mid-February) alone. Life insurance companies collected Rs 75.25 from renewal premium, Rs 18.43bn in new premium and Rs 1.7bn in foreign employment insurance premium. Similarly, micro insurers collected Rs 347.5m in first premium, Rs 272.7m in foreign employment premium and Rs 4.9m in renewal premium.

Nepal Life Insurance leads the life insurers in terms of premium collection. The company collected Rs 26.54bn in premium in the review period. National Life Insurance and Life Insurance Corporation (Nepal) were next with total insurance premium collections of Rs 11.23m and Rs 11.16m, respectively.

Total premium collections by these companies account for nearly half of the total premiums collected by 14 life insurance companies and three micro insurers. Among micro life insurers, Guardian Micro Life Insurance collected the highest premium of Rs 245.12m in the review period.

The number of active policies held by life insurers have reached 14.15m. Of this, 13.4m active policies are held by life insurance companies and 746,800 by micro life insurers. These companies issued 507,891 new policies, including 79,677 issued by micro insurers, in the review month alone. The total insured amount of these policies is Rs 158.82bn.

Meanwhile, net profit of life insurance companies increased by 14.85 percent in the first half of the current fiscal year. According to NIA, 14 insurance companies posted a combined net profit of Rs 3.48bn over the first six months of 2024/25 compared to Rs 3.03bn in the same period of the previous fiscal year.