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India held the first meeting of Inter-Ministerial Coordination Group (IMCG) which was led by foreign secretary Harsh Vardhan Shringla.

The IMCG has been setup as a high-level mechanism towards mainstreaming of India’s ‘Neighborhood First Policy’, in line with vision of Prime Minister Narendra Modi, says India’s Ministry of External Affairs. 

 Secretaries of Ministries/Departments of Home, Commerce, Finance, Fisheries, representatives from Ministries/Departments of Defence, Railways, Economic Affairs, Consumer Affairs, Agriculture & Farmers’ Welfare, Information & Broadcasting and from Cabinet Secretariat, National Security Council Secretariat as well as other relevant agencies along with heads of Border Guarding Forces participated in today’s meeting. The meeting deliberated upon and took important decisions on various aspects of India’s bilateral relationship with Afghanistan, Bangladesh, Bhutan, Maldives, Myanmar, Nepal, Pakistan and Sri Lanka in the areas of trade and investment, connectivity, border infrastructure, immigration, development cooperation, border security, according to the statement.

The IMCG is supported by Inter-Ministerial Joint Task Forces (JTF) convened by the concerned Joint Secretaries in the Ministry of External Affairs. Government of India’s efforts to deliver benefits like greater connectivity, stronger inter-linkages and greater people-to-people connect under India’s Neighborhood First Policy takes place through a whole-of-government approach with coordination involving various Ministries, Departments and agencies of GOI and of concerned State governments, says the statement. 

 The IMCG will further improve institutional coordination across government and provide comprehensive direction to this whole-of-government approach on India’s relations with its neighbouring countries, according to the statement. 

Nepal reported 26 new Covid-19 cases on Tuesday.

According to the Ministry of Health and Population, 2, 866 swab samples were tested in the RT-PCR method, of which 23 returned positive. Likewise, 1, 212 people underwent antigen tests, of which three were tested positive.

The Ministry said that no one died of virus in the last 24 hours. The Ministry said that 37 infected people recovered from the disease.

As of today, there are 554 active cases in the country.

President Bidya Devi Bhandari has given approval to mobilise the army in the local level elections slated for May 13.

President Bhandari gave permission to deploy the army as per the recommendation made by the National Security Council on March 31 and the decision of Cabinet meeting held on April 7, read a statement issued by the President's Office on Tuesday.

The Nepal Stock Exchange (NEPSE) plunged by 34. 79 points to close at 2,385.01 points on Tuesday.

Similarly, the sensitive index dropped by 5. 76 points to close at 449. 12 points.

A total of 3,783,024 units of the shares of 237 companies were traded for Rs 1. 52 billion.

Meanwhile, NESDO Samridha Laghubitta Bittiya Sanstha Limited was the top gainer today with its price surging by 10 percent. Likewise, Emerging Nepal Limited was the top loser with its price dropped by 6. 59 percent.

At the end of the day, the total market capitalization stood at Rs 3. 38 trillion.

Rosanne White was first diagnosed with cancer eight years ago and lost a kidney. After the cancer returned five years ago, an oncologist in Sri Lanka's commercial capital Colombo started her on Bevacizumab last May, a treatment she was responding to, Reuters reported.

White, a 58-year-old Sri Lankan retiree, said she had received the injections free of charge as part of the country's universal government health system, which the vast majority of its 22 million people depend on.

But after 13 rounds of treatment, White said she now cannot find the injection in government hospitals.

Bevacizumab costs 113,000 Sri Lankan rupees ($359) per shot in the private market and, because she does not have insurance, White said the costs were eating into her limited savings.

"We have to call the hospital before going in for treatment to find out if our medication is available," White told Reuters. "But what do you do when the nurses say the hospital doesn't have the medication?"

White's struggle to find Bevacizumab in state-run facilities is an early sign of how Sri Lanka's healthcare system is close to collapse, under the weight of the island nation's worst economic crisis. As well as shortages of vital drugs, some procedures and tests have been suspended.

The lack of foreign exchange has left President Gotabaya Rajapaksa's government unable to import essentials including medicines and fuel, causing crippling power cuts and bringing thousands of protesters on to the streets demanding his ouster, according to Reuters.

Reuters spoke to two government officials, six doctors and a healthcare union leader who said they had not seen Sri Lanka's health system in such a bad way before.

An internal memo from a major state-run hospital in Colombo seen by Reuters said that only emergency, casualty and malignancy surgeries would be conducted from April 7 onwards because of a lack of surgical supplies.

Sri Lanka's health ministry did not respond to detailed questions from Reuters about the problems facing the sector.

The economy, which relies heavily on tourism, has been devastated by the COVID-19 pandemic and hit by the sharp rise in oil prices in the wake of the war in Ukraine, which has made importing enough fuel unaffordable.

Some analysts have also criticised Rajapaksa's administration for its decision in 2019 to make deep tax cuts and delay talks with the International Monetary Fund (IMF). Those negotiations are now going ahead, Reuters reported.

A close aide to the Rajapaksas has said previously that the tax cuts had been designed to boost the economy, but that COVID-19 then struck.

Sri Lanka now has just $1.93 billion in foreign exchange reserves, the equivalent of less than a month's imports, while government debt repayments of twice that amount are due in 2022.

The Sri Lanka Medical Association, the country's oldest professional medical body, wrote to Rajapaksa last week warning him that even emergency treatments may have to be stopped in the coming days, according to Reuters.

"This will result in a catastrophic number of deaths," the association said.

Ambassador of Austria to Nepal Katharina Wieser paid a courtesy call on Minister for energy, Water Resources and Irrigation Pampha Bhusal on Tuesday.

During the meeting held at the Ministry in Singha Durbar, Minister Bhusal and the Austrian ambassador exchanged views on various matters including mutual relations and cooperation between the two countries.

The Minister thanked the government of Austria for providing support for the renovation of Patan Museum and the garden at Keshar Mahal. She recalled Austria's cooperation to the conservation of environment and cultural heritages and development of water supply projects and tourism.

Minister for Energy, Water Resources and Irrigation Bhusal also stressed on the need of further cooperation between the two countries on climate change risk reduction. She expressed the confidence that the Austrian government will support Nepal in meeting the sustainable development goals by 2030.

Congratulating Wieser on her appointment as the Ambassador of Austria to Nepal, Minister Bhusal expressed the belief that the ties between the two countries would grow in strength in the coming days.

On the occasion, the Austrian ambassador said her country and Nepal can collaborate in hydropower development in the coming days, stating that both countries have similar topography. She maintained that 60 percent of Austria's energy needs were met by hydroelectricity while the remaining was fulfilled through solar and biomass.

Energy Secretary Devendra Karki and Ministry of Foreign Affairs officials were present in the meeting. Nepal and Austria established diplomatic relations in 1959.

A four-month-old child died in a motorbike accident at Nalinchowk in Bhaktapur.

Police identified the deceased as Losang Dolma, daughter of Buddha Tamang and Susmita Tamang of Panchkhal-1, Kavre.

The incident occurred when the bike (Bagmati Province 02-021 PA 6763) they were riding on met with an accident.

Critically injured in the incident Dolma breathed her last during the course of treatment at the Neuro Hospital, the Metropolitan Police Range, Bhaktapur said.

Buddha and Susmita were also injured in the incident.

Police said that they are looking into the case.

The CPN (Maoist Centre) has stressed on forging alliances with the ruling coalition in the forthcoming local level elections.

In a circular issued on Monday, party Chairman Pushpa Kamal Dahal has given priority to forging electoral alliances and further said that the center's approval is necessary if the elections are to be contested alone.

Dahal said that the recommendation of all the candidates should be made by April 18.