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The agricultural sector in eastern Nepal is in dire straits on the face of the corona pandemic. As the lockdown prolongs, production and distribution are affected, and hundreds of thousands of farmers and traders fear severe financial distress. The resulting slowdown in production and supplies is set to result in long-term shortage of agro products in Province 1.

While consumers don’t find vegetables to buy, farmers are compelled to let their produce rot in the farms. Nobody comes to pick them, and the farmers have no means to deliver them to vegetable shops. “We expected the market to open soon. But the situation only got worse after Covid-19 cases were reported in Udayapur district,” says Navin Chandravanshi, a farmer at Baraha Kshetra, Sunsari. “One trader came and bought just two sacks of vegetables, while the vegetables in the farm worth some Rs 200,000 rotted.”

Vegetable prices have gone up too. Traders who buy directly from farmers sell bought vegetables at significant mark-ups. Before the lockdown, traders used to come to Chandravanshi’s farm to pick vegetables. He thinks it would be good for both the farmers and the consumers if vegetables can be sold directly to consumers instead of involving middlemen. “But we lack a mechanism to do that,” he says.

Businesses dealing in fertilizers, seeds and other agro supplies are miffed at government indifference in protecting and promoting the agro sector. “The indifference toward farmers is sure to create problems in the long run,” says Gyanendra Parajuli, owner of Sagar Feed Industries. Unable to sell eggs and chicken due to the lockdown, he has been burying 45,000 chicks a week these days. He also claims to be destroying 60,000 eggs per week.

Parajuli anticipates the 22,000 hens in his farm to die in the next 6-7 months. “I have ordered new hens from Thailand and paid for them too. But I am now in no position to import them,” he adds. “The farm will remain closed for about three months at least. By the time the lockdown is over, there will be a sharp drop in the production of chicken and eggs.”

Other poultry farmers share Parajuli’s plight. Many are selling chicken below cost price. “There is shortage of poultry feed, and we cannot even supply chicken that are ready,” says Suresh Basnet, a poultry farmer.

Lack of coordination among the authorities is adding to the farmers’ woes. Parajuli shares, “The government says we can transport our produce. The district administration says we don’t need a vehicle pass. But the policemen on the road keep troubling us.” He fears continued lockdown will shatter the poultry industry.

Not only poultry, other farmers also foresee a crisis in agriculture in the next few months. Farmer Karna Bahadur Karki from Baraha Kshetra, who saw his tomatoes rot on the farm, says, “The crop has rotted. Now we have neither seeds nor fertilizers for the next crop.”

Meanwhile, dairy farmers are also in a bad state. Dairy firms and cooperatives have slashed their purchase by half. Says Baburam Khatri, chairman of Itahari-based Kamadhenu Dairy Cooperative, “The tea shops, restaurants, and bakery shops that consume milk have closed. About 14,000 farmers from six districts who sold us milk are directly hit as we have been compelled to reduce purchase.”

Transitional justice in Nepal just got more complicated. This follows the Supreme Court’s dismissal of a government petition asking for a review of the apex court’s earlier decision. There could be no amnesty for those involved in grave rights violations during the decade-long Maoist insurgency, the court had ruled on 26 February 2016. Two major parties back then, the Nepali Congress and the UCPN (Maoist), contended the verdict was against the spirit of the 2006 Comprehensive Peace Agreement (CPA) that had peacefully settled the armed conflict. It was up to the two transitional justice bodies to rule on all conflict-era cases, they argued, not the normal criminal justice mechanism.

Now, by throwing out the government petition, the Supreme Court has closed the chapter of general amnesty. This has come as a relief to conflict victims and the human rights community. They feared the political parties, in the excuse of completing the peace process, could otherwise trade away the rights of conflict victims. Yet this latest apex court move threatens to further complicate the transitional justice process. Neither the two major parties, whose leaders were directly or indirectly involved in the conflict, nor the Nepal Army, itself accused of grave rights violations, is now likely to cooperate in the TJ process. The top leaders of these institutions fear being implicated in grave rights violations without a get-out clause of amnesty in transitional justice laws.

The process should never have taken this long. The CPA had provisioned for the formation of the two transitional justice bodies within six months of its promulgation—it would be nearly 11 years before it happened. The major political actors had made the peace process a tool of political bargaining, and were never serious about bringing justice to conflict families that had seen their loved ones either killed in cold blood or ‘disappeared’ during the insurgency. The sad fact of the transitional justice in Nepal is that any perceived progress for the conflict victims is seen as a setback by the political parties and the army, and vice versa. The two sides would be wise to quickly and amicably resolve all conflict-era cases. The internationalization of the process will be to the detriment of the aforementioned state and political actors, who will forever fear the long arm of international law. It will also be a long and torturous road for conflict victims who have already waited so long for justice.

The national flag of Nepal was illuminated brightly on the Matterhorn, a mountain in the Swiss Alps, on April 25, as a display of solidarity amid the global Covid-19 pandemic. The initiative of light artist Gerry Hofstetter has seen the mountainside in the village of Zermatt, Switzerland, illuminated every day with flags of different countries since March 24.

 “Nepal is not only the country with friendly people but also the country with the highest mountains in the world. Therefore, Zermatt as a mountain village feels particularly connected. We send a strong sign of our solidarity,” Zermatt Tourism said in a Twitter post.

Every night, the popular mountain is lit up with projections of images, including flags of countries across the globe, that have been hit with the deadly disease. Words such as ‘hope’, ‘solidarity’ and ‘stay home’ have also been displayed.

What have you done the most often during the lockdown?

A lot of Netflix. Plus, a lot more cooking than I ever thought I was capable of.

A movie/series you would suggest for the lockdown?

There are many on Netflix. For those who haven’t, all the five seasons of “Narcos” is a good start. “Tiger King” was another short, yet amusing series. But nothing beats the latest Netflix series, “The Last Dance” based on the Chicago Bulls Dynasty and their last season together in 1997-98 as Jordan and the Bulls. 

Have you read something good lately?

Duvvuri Subbarao’s “Who Moved My Interest Rate”, based on his tumultuous years as the Governor of the Reserve Bank of India right after the Financial Crisis of 2008. Maybe a good read for our Rastra Bank employees in order to boost the economy after this Covid-19 crisis.

Best music to listen to during the lockdown?

Classic rock never goes out of style. My favorites: The Beatles, Fleetwood Mac, Dire Straits, The Doors, Jimi Hendrix, etc.

How do you work out during the lockdown? 

Haven’t had a chance to work out. The only lifting I’m doing is the remote-control. However, once the lockdown ends, I will head to the mountains, and that’s always been my workout of sorts.

How long do you think the lockdown will last? 

Not sure, but I’d assume end of May 2020. As of now, countries around the globe are trying to buy time as the vaccines being experimented. Current estimates are that vaccines could take from six months to a whopping two years to develop. With that in mind, this lockdown could continue for a year or more, in the worst-case scenario.

What is the first thing you’ll do when the lockdown is over?

Drive around Kathmandu to see what has become of the city.  

If not at home, where would you preferably be locked down?

In the mountains, if the lockdown lasted 2-3 weeks. Anything longer, forget it...I’d rather be home.

If you were to be locked down with a Nepali celebrity for 21 days, who would it be?

My brother and friend, Nirmal Purja (Nims Dai). We will be able to better plan our climbs for next year.

One dish you wouldn’t mind eating every day during the lockdown?

Can’t get enough of a good Dal Bhat Thali. I don’t mind doing it daily for a week or two. However, if it’s eating the same item for a month, “NOTHING” is my answer. 

How much time can you spend in front of the screen, watching movies and series? How long can you scroll through social media accounts on your smartphone before getting bored out of your wits? How much can you read in a day without straining your eyes?

You know, for times when you have nothing to do or even when you’re doing something that doesn’t require great attention, there’s nothing like good music in the background to guide you gently away from boredom. And the music sources? Definitely not YouTube, with its average sound quality. Moreover, audiophiles are probably already acquainted with Spotify, Apple Music, and the like. This week we bring to suggestions for a few other sources that stream the best quality music for your aural pleasure.

Tidal 

Tidal offers high quality audio with wide range of content at very reasonable prices, starting from $9.99 a month. It works on iOS and Android, as well as desktop and the web player.

The audio files in FLAC and AAC format stream in 320kbps CD-quality. More than 60 million tracks are available to access with around 170,000 of them in High-Res audio formats. Tidal is known to offer excellent sound quality. The ‘Tidal Master’ collection of music files is encoded using Master Quality Authenticated (MQA) tech, which is far more superior to most other options.

Primephonic

Music lovers around the world laud Primephonic as the ‘go-to’ app for classical music. The app available in iOS, Android and web player has a library size of 1 million+ musical tracks, specializing in classical music. Membership options start at around $10 a month and get more expensive as you add High-Res options and other features. But even at its base version, Primephonic doesn’t lack in quality.

Primephonic streams MP3 and FLAC formats in 320kbs, 24-bit quality, and also features offline playback as well as an intuitive interface.

Deezer

The best thing about Deezer is that it offers a free tier for the customers to try out before buying the app. Deezer Premium starts at $9.99 a month and with more than a decade in music streaming, Deezer is one of the most bankable music libraries.

Boasting of a vast catalogue of 53 million+ music files, Deezer can be streamed not only on iOS, Android, desktops and browsers, but also on a number of third-party streaming products including Sonos, Yamaha MusicCast, and Bang & Olufsen speakers. Deezer has a good range of podcasts and streaming is done in CD-quality 320kbps, 16-bit.

Garbage collectors of Biratnagar are forced to work under unsafe conditions as they struggle to keep themselves safe against the novel coronavirus. With little in terms of protective gear, they are under high risk of infection.

The workers are out in the field early morning every day, with only ordinary masks and surgical gloves in the name of protective gear. Personal Protective Equipment (PPE), glasses, sanitizer, and surgical masks are the minimum they need in terms of safety gear.

The Biratnagar Metropolitan City has awarded Waste Management Group, a private company, the contract of collecting and disposing garbage from the city. The company deploys 220 workers to collect garbage from the houses, streets and public places across the 19 wards of the city.

“We have been trying to save ourselves from the danger with what we have been given,” says Shyam Raut, who has been working as a garbage collector for the last 15 years. “We have asked the company to give us proper gear against the coronavirus infection.”

“We work under constant fear,” says 36-year-old Raut. His colleague, 44-year-old Suresh Paswan, adds: “All we get are two pairs of gloves, an identity card, and ordinary masks. I am worried about my safety.”

“It is dangerous to pick garbage from the houses of potentially infected people. And we cannot keep distance from others when we collect and dispose off garbage,” adds Paswan.

Surya Tamang, another garbage collector says lack of protection imperils their families and their neighborhoods as well. As most workers are poorly informed on the health hazards they face, the concerned bodies should pay more attention, he adds.

Devi Acharya, chief of the contracting company, says the workers are given gloves and sanitizers as and when needed. “Some workers use them, some don’t,” he adds. “We are aware that the workers need to handle the garbage all the time. We are doing our best to protect them. But the Metropolitan City should also think about worker safety.”

The Metropolitan City, on the other hand, says it is the contractor’s responsibility to ensure worker safety. Hira Yadav, chief of its waste management department, claims the workers have been given masks right from the beginning to stave off possible infection. “Now it is up to the contractor to provide other materials. They have to see to it that the workers are safe.”

The city produces approximately 150 metric tons of garbage every day. The amount has decreased by 50 percent after the government imposed a lockdown to stop possible spread of Covid-19. Workers think it is due to the corona scare that people have limited their activities, producing less waste. Many households have told the garbage collectors to stop coming to their homes saying, “we will manage our garbage ourselves.” The house-owners may be worried that the waste management workers may be carrying the virus, the workers think.

Something you’ve done often during the lockdown?

I have been reading and spending time with my family members. I realized I’d been so busy that I hadn’t seen my family members up close in a long time.

A movie/series you would suggest for the lockdown?

All Nepali movies on my list: “Ujeli,” “Numafung,” “Mukundo,” “Maitighar,” “Basudev.”

Have you read anything lately? Would you suggest it?

I’d definitely suggest “Sumnima” and “Babu, Aama ra Chora,” both by BP Koirala. 

 Best music to listen to during the lockdown? 

Parvathy Baul, Nina Simone, Narayan Gopal, Kumar Sanu.  

How do you work out during the lockdown?

 I do yoga with my family 

How long do you think the lockdown will last?

I don’t know. Maybe a day before till it’s called off?

What is the first thing you’ll do when the lockdown is over? 

I want to visit a temple. It’s been long since I’ve met God in His abode.

If not at home, where would you preferably be locked down? 

As an actor maybe in a mental hospital since it would be an opportunity to observe different characters (laughs). But as a normal human being, maybe a Vipassana center. 

If you were to be locked down with a Nepali celebrity for 21 days, who would it be?

Madhav Prasad Ghimire. I’d make him kheer because I know he loves it and then he could recite poems to me.

One dish you wouldn’t mind eating everyday during the lockdown?

Dal Bhat!

On April 21, the news of detection of 11 new Covid-19 cases in Nepal added to public unease. They were already struggling to digest the federal government’s untimely decision to amend some important laws. The previous day, the KP Oli-led cabinet had proposed legal changes—swiftly endorsed by President Bidya Devi Bhandari—that made it easier to split political parties. They also made the role of the leader of the main opposition party redundant in the constitutional council, a body tasked with making appointments to vital constitutional bodies. Whatever gloss PM Oli tries to put on these changes, they are unmistakable signs of his desire to cling to positions of power.

If co-chair Pushpa Kamal Dahal and other senior Nepal Communist Party leaders gang up against him, Oli can now split the ruling party with the support of 40 percent of its federal lawmakers. He can then potentially retain his top positions in the government and the breakaway party—in what will be a classic case of cutting off the nose to spite the face. Nepalis are struggling to understand the need for such legal shenanigans when government attention should have been firmly on the Covid-19 crisis. The hope was that this government, with its near two-thirds support in the national legislature, would serve out its five years and give the country much-needed political stability. But untamed ambitions of individual leaders could yet again upend this hope.

The pair of new ordinances makes us question the ability of the NCP-led government to collectively fight the corona pandemic, and threatens to snuff out any hope of the country’s swift post-pandemic economy recovery. Instead, if and when the corona threat dies down, the country could see a repeat of the kind of mad scramble for power that had become a hallmark of the post-1990 polity. Oli can offer no credible justification for his creeping authoritarianism and for inviting yet another era of instability and uncertainty—and certainly not at this time of national emergency.  

People had overwhelmingly plumped for Oli and his communist coalition in the 2017 elections, rewarding his resolute stand against India during the blockade. How fast has Oli’s star fallen! His calculations that the new amendments will allow him to cement his power could be wrong. Oli seems to have learned little from the self-inflicted wounds of Nepali ruling parties over the past three decades. Moreover, with his latest attempt at power-grab, the near-septuagenarian prime minister has run a bulldozer over democratic norms and done irreparable harm to his party and his country.