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Six persons died and 18 others were injured when a bus met with an accident at Khursani in Rainadevi Chahara Rural Municipality-8 of Palpa on Thursday. Palpa police confirmed that six persons died on the spot when the bus (Ga 1 Kha 4977) towards Khursani, Satyadevi, Palpa from Saljhandi, Rupandehi fell some 100 meters down the road at around 10 pm yesterday. Birendra Thapa, Information Officer at the District Police Office, Palpa, Guna Kumari Gaha (45), Dan Kumari Khatri (21), Khem Kumari Rana (54), Nirmala Ghimire (33), Suruma Ghimire (11), and Bima Pandey (11) died in the incident. Police said that the injured are undergoing treatment at the Lumbini Provincial Hospital in Butwal and Edmond City Hospital in Jitgadhi.

The Nepal Stock Exchange (NEPSE) gained 18. 09 points to close at 2,143. 93 points on Thursday. Similarly, the sensitive index surged by 2. 51 point to close at 411. 23 points A total of 12,581,982 unit shares of 259 companies were traded for Rs 5. 04 billion. Meanwhile, Chandragiri Hills Limited, Buddha Bhumi Nepal Hydropower Company Limited, Dhaulagiri Laghubitta Bittiya Sanstha Limited, Khaptad Laghubitta Bittiya Sanstha Limited and Shrijanshil Laghubitta Bittiya Sanstha Limited were the top gainers today, with their price surging by 10. 00 percent. Similarly, Citizens Mutual Fund was the top loser as its price fell by 3. 03 percent. At the end of the day, total market capitalization stood at Rs 3. 10 trillion.

The government has decided to appoint Toyam Raya as the secretary of the Ministry of Finance. A Cabinet meeting held on Thursday decided to appoint Raya, Secretary at the Ministry of Industry and Commerce, as the secretary of the Ministry of Finance. Similarly, the meeting has also decided to appoint Ram Prasad Ghimire as the revenue secretary. Earlier, he was in the Commission for the Investigation of Abuse of Authority (CIAA).  

The provincial economic activity study of the Nepal Rastra Bank (NRB) has shown that the average capacity utilization of the manufacturing industries operating in Madhesh Province has increased by 10 percent in the last fiscal year. The 'Economic Activities Report of Madhesh Province' unveiled by NRB on Monday shows average capacity utilization of industries was 59.16 percent in FY 2021/22 compared to 49.76 percent in FY 2020/21. On the other hand, the average production growth of the industries in Madhesh Province in FY 2021/22 was 5.23 percent compared to 12.10 percent in FY 2020/21. According to the report, the average capacity utilization of industries in the Madhesh Province improved in the last fiscal year mainly due to the resumption of full operation of many industries resumed operation following the decline in Covid-19 pandemic cases, the surge in the demands, and ease in the supply of raw materials. The report states that industries producing fabricated metal goods had the highest capacity utilization of 94.72 percent, and the paper industry had the lowest capacity utilization of 10.79 percent. According to NRB, the five industries with the highest capacity utilization in the last fiscal year were fabricated metal goods, beverages, grain and animal feed, tobacco products, and plastic goods manufacturing. In FY 2021/22, the average capacity utilization of fabricated metal goods industries, beverages industries, grain and animal feed industries, tobacco products industries, and plastic manufacturing industries stood at 94.72 percent, 92.08 percent, 91.68 percent, 86.46 percent, and 71.20 percent, respectively. The industries that saw their average capacity utilization decline in the last fiscal year were the producers of vegetable ghee and oil, other food items and cloth. The capacity utilization of vegetable ghee and oil industries decreased by 5.29 percent, cloth industries by 14.76 percent, and other food items industries by 28.35 percent respectively in FY 2021/22. In FY 2020/21, the five industries with the highest capacity utilization in Madhesh Province were textiles, beverages, fabricated metal goods, grain and animal feed, and plastic manufacturing industries, whose capacity utilization was 84.70 percent, 71.77 percent, 65.23 percent, 59.83 percent, and 58.84 percent respectively. Leather goods, and beverages production increased According to the report, In FY 2021/22, the production of the leather and leather goods manufacturing industry increased the most by 51.51 percent, while the production of the plastic manufacturing industry decreased the most by 39.50 percent. The top five industries having higher growth in production in FY 2021/22 were leather and leather goods, beverages, fabricated metal goods, other food products, and paper and paper materials manufacturing. The production growth of leather and leather goods industries stood at 51.51 percent, beverages industries at 41.24 percent, fabricated metal goods at 13 .78 percent, other food products at 10.80 percent, and paper and paper materials manufacturing industries at 10.28 percent. In FY 2021/22, the production of industries producing tobacco products, ghee and oil, grain and animal feed, and plastic products has decreased by 9.45 percent, 11.01 percent, 13.78 percent, and 39.50 percent respectively. BFIs industrial loans to industries decline in last FY According to NRB, the total credit flow from banks and financial institutions (BFIs) to the industries in Madhesh Province has shrunk by 2.94 percent in the last fiscal year. The BFIs disbursed industrial loans worth Rs 102.13 million in FY 2021/22 compared to Rs 105.23 billion in FY 2020/21. The highest loan disbursement was in the Parsa district and the lowest was in the Saptari district. Of the total loan disbursed, 56.95 percent was for the industries in the Parsa district. As most of the industries in Madhesh are based in Parsa, the loan disbursement in the district is the highest. Majority of loans went to non-food production industry  Of the total loans disbursed by the BFIs to industries in the last fiscal year, 52.39 percent was for non-food production industry, 30.57 percent for agriculture-forestry and beverage production industry, 7.62 percent for production of metal, machinery and electronics and metal goods industry, 7.27 percent for construction industry, 1.66 percent for mining industry, and 0.48 percent for electricity, gas and water industry.

More than 300 Chinese vehicles have entered the country through the Rasuwagadhi border point. According to the Department of Customs, 305 vehicles of various categories entered Nepal through the friendship bridge in Rasuwagadhi since the start of this fiscal year. A total of 132 electric vehicles, 82 electric vans, 11 Hilux vehicles, 2 loader equipment, and 78 fuel cars have been imported through the customs point. With the operation of the Tatopani border point not being regular, the imports of vehicles from Rasuwagadhi have increased in the last few years. Vehicle importers in Nepal prefer the Rasuwagadhi point over Tatopani to import Chinese vehicles. In the first five months of the current fiscal year, Nepal has imported 198 electric vehicles, of which 132 were brought through the Rasuwagadhi border point. The importers of Neta and BYD four-wheelers have used this trade route for their imports in the current fiscal year. In the last fiscal year, a sizable number of MG EVs also made their way to Nepal through this border point. With government policies favoring the sales of EVs of 100kW motor capacity, there has been a surge in the imports of EVs up to 100 kW in this fiscal year. The imports of 100 kW EVs from China have increased in the first five months of the current fiscal year. Nepal has imported 188 units of EVs of 100 kW capacity in this fiscal compared to 70 units in the same period of the last fiscal. As the government levied excise duty on top of the existing customs duty on electric vehicles above 100 kW capacity, there has been a decline in the imports of EVs above 100 kW from China. In FY 2022/23, only 10 units of EVs above 100 kW capacity have been imported from China compared to 548 units in the same period of FY 2021/22.

The by-election of the National Assembly will be held on February 8. A Cabinet meeting held on Thursday made the decision to this effect. Khimlal Bhattarai’s post has been lying vacant after he tendered his resignation from the upper house of the federal parliament. He was elected from Lumbini Province. Prime Minister Pushpa Kamal Dahal had held a discussion with the Election Commission for the by-election of the National Assembly.    

The Office of the Bagmati Province Chief on Thursday called on parties representing in the Province Assembly to form a government. Province Chief Yadav Chandra Sharma has given the deadline of 4 pm on January 9 to the parties to form the government formation and to appoint the Chief Minister with the support of two or more parties representing in the Province Assembly. Province Chief Sharma has called on the parties to form the government as per Article 168 (2) of the Constitution. As no parties had a clear majority to appoint the Chief Minister according to Article 168 (1) of the Constitution, the Province Chief called on the parties representing in the Province Assembly to stake claim to appoint the Chief Minister with support of two or more than two parties as per Article 168 (2) of the Constitution. The Bagmati Province has 110 members. Of which, Nepali Congress has 37, UML 27, CPN (Maoist Center) 21, Rastriya Prajatantra Party 13, CPN (Unified Socialist) 7 and Nepal Workers and Peasants Party 3 and Hamro Party has 2 members.    

The price of gold has increased by Rs 200 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 103, 100 per tola today. It was traded at Rs 102, 900 per tola on Wednesday. Meanwhile, tejabi gold is being traded at Rs 102, 600 per tola.