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The Ministry of Home Affairs has once again invited the group protesting the implementation of a cable car project in Pathibhara, Taplejung, for talks.

Joint Secretary Prem Prasad Bhattarai, the coordinator of the government’s talks team, confirmed that the protesting group has been urged to come back to the negotiating table.

On Monday night, the Ministry issued a formal notice, inviting the protestors for dialogue. The notice cordially called on all those opposing the project for negotiations so as to address the social, cultural, and local concerns raised by the agitating groups.

A talks team was formed by the government on February 2, and two previous rounds of discussions ended inconclusively. The "No Cable Car" group had previously announced to walk away from the talks. The area has already experienced clashes between the two sides over the dispute.

Lawmakers have demanded the state guarantee free treatment for those injured in road accidents.

During a meeting of the House of Representatives today, lawmaker Ramhari Khatiwada raised his concern over the road accident that took place at Kavrebhanjyang today, insisting on providing free treatment for those injured in road accidents.

He also demanded the government not make the national identity card for senior citizens mandatory and provide services for acquiring the card from the respective local governments.

Similarly, lawmaker Devendra Paudel also sought free treatment for those injured in road accidents and strict implementation of road safety programs and the traffic rules to minimize cases of road mishaps. 

Likewise, lawmaker Gyan Bahadur Shahi said that the government has been unable to designate the Chief Administrative Officer in many local levels and employees at some local governments have not been paid on a regular basis.

He also expressed his concern of the reduction in fiscal equalization grants for local levels after a half yearly review of the budget for the current fiscal year. 

Also speaking at the meeting, lawmaker Anita Devi accused people's representatives of not cooperating with employees. She stressed on the government's role in sorting out disputes surfaced during the implementation of the cable car project in Pathibhara of Taplejung.  

Lawmaker Lalbir Chaudhary drew the government's attention to an increasing number of casualties and injuries from wildlife attacks, calling on the respective bodies to take measures for addressing the situation.

Lawmaker Amaresh Kumar Singh stressed the need of regulation on the operation of social sites platforms to prevent potential attempts there to jeopardize social and communal order and harmony.

The Nepal Stock Exchange (NEPSE) gained 7.13 points to close at 2, 765.88 points on Tuesday.

Similarly, the sensitive index surged by 0.81 points to close at 460. 06 points.

A total of 17,865,703-unit shares of 312 companies were traded for Rs 9. 90 billion.

Meanwhile, Guardian Micro Life Insurance Limited (GMLI) was the top gainer today, with its price surging by 10. 00 percent.

Likewise, Wean Nepal Laghubitta Bittiya Sanstha Limited (WNLB) was the top loser as its price fell by 8.97percent.

At the end of the day, total market capitalization stood at Rs 4. 59 trillion.

Excavation of the 12,000-year-old Ratu River began in the first week of February under a contract awarded by Bardibas Municipality for the current fiscal year. However, weak monitoring has led to blatant violations of excavation standards by contractors.

Regulations allow river materials to be extracted only up to a depth of three feet, yet a monitoring visit on Sunday revealed excavation up to six feet. Contractors have also been found mining river materials dangerously close to bridges, despite the rule mandating a 500-meter clearance. In the Pathlaiya section, materials were being extracted just 200 meters from a suspension bridge.

Deputy Mayor and monitoring committee coordinator Taradevi Mahato assured that excavation would adhere to regulations. “We noticed some irregularities during monitoring,” she said. “The work must be done within standards.”

Riverine materials are highly lucrative, with low investment and high returns, leading to rampant river exploitation nationwide. CPN (Maoist Center) central member Raju Khadka accused authorities—including police, administration, and elected representatives—of enabling the destruction of the Ratu River.

Last year, locals petitioned the Supreme Court, demanding protection of the river’s ecosystem. UML leader Shankar Mahato warned of renewed legal action if local authorities fail to regulate excavation. “The unchecked exploitation of the Ratu River, which originates from the Chure hills, is turning fertile land into a desert,” he said.

Senior advocate Padam Bahadur Shrestha, an environmental and river rights activist, pointed out that the use of heavy machinery for river material extraction is banned but continues unabated in Ratu.

For the fiscal year 2024/25, Bardibas Municipality awarded excavation contracts worth Rs 84m (excluding VAT), dividing the river into four packages. According to Sajeev Baral from the municipality’s revenue branch, contractors are permitted to extract 294,681 cubic meters of river materials, with a deadline set for June.

Deputy Mayor Mahato stated that initial warnings had been issued to contractors. “We will halt excavation if it does not comply with standards,” she said. “We are ready to address shortcomings.”

Chief Administrative Officer Rammani Adhikari also instructed contractors to follow regulations. “Some areas have seen excavation beyond the permitted limits,” he admitted. “We have imposed conditions on contractors. If violations continue, we will take action.”

Meanwhile, Mahottari Chief District Officer Lalbabu Kawadi, a member of the District Monitoring Committee, assured that any work breaching regulations would be immediately stopped.

At least 17 persons were injured when a bus they were travelling in met with an accident in Kavre on Tuesday.

The District Police Office, Kavre informed that the bus (Pradesh 3, 001-005 Kha 9942) belonging to Araniko Travels was heading towards Okhaldhunga from Kathmandu when the incident occurred at Shardha Batase in Dhulikhel-10 along the BP Highway this morning.

The injured are undergoing treatment at the Dhulikhel Hospital.

There were 24 persons on board the ill-fated bus.

Police said that the driver and assistant driver are in critical condition.

The price of gold has increased by Rs 500 per tola in the domestic market on Tuesday.

According to the Federation of Nepal Gold and Silver Dealers’ Association, the precious yellow metal is being traded at Rs 171, 300 per tola today. It was traded at Rs 170, 800 per tola on Monday.

The price of silver, however, has dropped by Rs 15 and is being traded at Rs 1, 870 per tola today.

The recent inclusion of Nepal in the Financial Action Task Force (FATF) ‘gray list’ presents both immediate challenges and opportunities for systemic reform for Nepal. The FATF Plenary that concluded in Paris on Friday decided to include Nepal and Laos on the list. This follows the Asia Pacific Group's mutual evaluation report which identified significant deficiencies in Nepal's anti-money laundering framework.
“In Feb 2023, Nepal made a high-level political commitment to work with the FATF and Asia Pacific Group (APG) to strengthen the effectiveness of its anti-money laundering and combating the financing of terrorism (AML/CFT) regime,” the FATF said. “Since the adoption of its mutual evaluation report in Aug 2023, Nepal has made progress on some of the actions recommended in the report, including streamlining mutual legal assistance (MLA) requests and increasing the capabilities of the Financial Information Unit (FIU).”

The APG’s third mutual evaluation report of 2023 had highlighted various weaknesses in Nepal’s anti-money laundering and counter-terrorism financing controls. FATF has been evaluating the status of any country in controlling money laundering and terrorism financing based on 11 effectiveness indicators and 40 technical indicators. FATF has concluded that Nepal has not been able to demonstrate full effectiveness in any of the 11 prescribed effectiveness standards. According to APG’s latest report, Nepal has not been able to achieve full or substantial progress in any of these 11 indicators.
The gray-listing could have far-reaching implications for Nepal’s economy. International financial institutions now onwards are likely to implement enhanced due diligence measures for transactions involving Nepali entities. This can affect trade financing and remittance flows which are  very crucial components of Nepal’s economy. Likewise, the country might face increased transaction costs and delayed processing times for international transfers. More importantly, this could deter foreign investment at a time when the country is seeking to attract international capital for its development projects. The increased perception of risk could lead to higher borrowing costs and more stringent lending conditions in international markets.
The FATF, however, has provided Nepal with a clear, albeit challenging, pathway to exit the gray list by Jan 2027. The seven-point action plan encompasses comprehensive reforms, from enhancing public awareness about money laundering risks to strengthening technical compliance in preventing terrorism financing, improving risk-based supervision of commercial banks, higher risk cooperatives, casinos, dealers in precious metals and stones and the real estate sector, and demonstrating identification and sanctioning of hundi operators.
Suman Dahal, the director general of the Department of Money Laundering Investigation, says Nepal has already begun addressing these challenges. “Instead of getting entangled in many small financial crimes, we will now focus on major crimes. We will work by setting thresholds for this purpose," he added.
The focus appears to be on three critical areas: improving investigative capacity, increasing prosecutions of financial crimes and enhancing asset seizure mechanisms. One noteworthy intervention is the preparation to implement new technological solutions, including KYC software and integrated data management systems. These technological upgrades, if successfully implemented, could significantly improve Nepal’s ability to monitor and prevent financial crimes.
The success of Nepal’s efforts will largely depend on its ability to translate plans into action. The country’s previous experience with the gray list (2010-2014) should provide valuable lessons for implementing sustainable reforms rather than quick fixes.
The real measure of success will not merely be exiting the grey list but establishing a robust, transparent financial system that can effectively prevent and combat financial crimes. This could position Nepal as a more attractive destination for international investment and trade in the long term.

The second Central Committee meeting of the CPN (Unified Socialist) has demanded the government increase investment in industrial development so that the national economy would be made sustainable and employment-oriented.

During a press conference organized to make public the decision of the Central Committee meeting on Monday, General Secretary Ghanashyam Bhusal expressed worry over the exodus of youths. He urged the government to preserve agricultural practices and boost industrial development to retain youths within the country.

The government is further suggested to improve people's livelihood, create jobs and run income generating programs. General Secretary Bhusal said his party was for immediate action against those involved in frauds related to loan sharking, cooperatives and online service. The party also decided to go to people to collect their views on the current political situation.

Moreover, the CPN (Unified Socialist) drew the government's attention towards the death of Nepali student Prakriti Lamsal at Kalinga Institute of Industrial Technology (KIIT), Odisha, India. The party expressed tribute to the departed student and demanded the government to make adequate efforts to ensure a fear-free atmosphere for the Nepali students at KIIT and bring to book the culprit.

Other issues the opposition party raised were- need of intensifying reconstruction of houses for Jajarkot earthquake victims, reconstruction of the BP Highway which was damaged in several places in the rains occurred before Dashain, and the discussion with experts on the bills relating to school education and civil service.

The second full meeting of the Central Committee held on February 21-22 witnessed the presence of 298 committee members. The event passed a political report, party's regulation, by-regulation and directives. The leaders dwelt on review of party general convention, immediate action plan and the organizational and political issues.