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Devendra Paudel, Minister for Education, Science and Technology and also the pro-chancellor of National Academy of Science and Technology (NAST), unveiled a book named ‘Wild Edible Fruits of Nepal’ written by NAST researcher Dr Lok Ranjan Bhatt over an online conference.

Altogether 256 wild edible fruits (WEFs) consumed in various parts of Nepal are included in this book. They belong to 144 genera under 68 families. The book includes more than 160 colour photographs of selective WEFs. 

The content of the book is organized into three sections. The first part provides introduction of wild edible fruits, and outlines the traditional knowledge, diversity and utilization practices of WEFs in Nepal. This section also highlights the role of WEFs in food and nutritional security, income and employment generation and their conservation and management. The second part includes the brief review of the earlier works carried out on Nepalese WEFs. The third part includes taxonomic description of the taxa along with their phenology, ecology, distribution, uses and nutritional values (if any).

The plant species are arranged alphabetically in descending order. Species information begins with accepted scientific name, followed by synonyms (if any), family, vernacular names, taxonomic description, distribution, ecology, flowering and fruiting time, uses, and nutritional values. Vernacular name(s) practiced by different communities in Nepal are arranged alphabetically while English names are put at the end.  

The joint merger committee formed by Nepal Investment Bank and Himalayan Bank is taking its own sweet time to finalize their merger deal and start operations as one company.

The new company, which is to become the biggest commercial bank in Nepal, has again written to the central bank to allow time to conclude the merger process even as shares of both companies owned by the public remain frozen for months.

The two banks had signed a memorandum of understanding (MoU) for a merger in April, committing to complete the merger within two months. The new bank was to be chaired by Prithvi Bahadur Pandey while Ashok Rana would be its Chief Executive Officer. Pandey is currently the chairman of Nepal Investment Bank; Rana is the chief executive officer of Himalayan Bank.

Also read: Fraud case against Century bank 

NRB had earlier extended the deadline for the merger by three months after the banks cited paucity of time. The first extension ended on Dec 5. After the process was not completed even in the extended period, the merger committee wrote a letter to the NRB requesting another extension.

Lately, various obstacles have been seen in the merger. Before the merger formally concludes, both the banks need to pass a merger proposal from the annual general meeting. While Nepal Investment Bank has already convened its general meeting, Himalayan Bank has not yet set a date for the same.

NRB has given conditional permission to Himalayan Bank to convene its general assembly. However, it has been said that the proposed cash dividend to shareholders will be distributed only after the completion of the merger. For this year, the bank had proposed 21 percent bonus shares and 4 percent cash dividend. It is said that the Himalayan Bank's shareholders are not happy with the decision.

UN Special Rapporteur Olivier De Schutter has said that Nepal has one of the most progressive constitutions in the world, but many of its promises still are to be fulfilled.

The UN official made such remarks after conducting an 11-day official mission to the country.

Nepal has succeeded in reducing multidimensional poverty by 12.7 percent between 2014 and 2019, and its Human Development Index has improved, as have indicators related to health and education. But significant gaps remain, the UN expert said.

“Women are still lagging on a number of indicators. Though banned, caste-based and ethnicity-based discrimination remain a reality in social life, and it is a major factor explaining the perpetuation of poverty. Land issues remain unresolved, despite the efforts to accelerate the rehabilitation of former bonded laborers and to ensure landless Dalit benefit from land redistribution.”

Says De Chutter poverty reduction owes more to remittances than to proactive Government anti-poverty policies. "A quarter of the decline in poverty can be attributed to outmigration only, with estimates showing that, without remittances, poverty would have increased in Nepal,” he said.

Remittances in Nepal were 10 times larger than foreign aid and 2.5 larger than total exports only in 2017.

 “It is clear that much more needs to be done by the Government to meet its own target of reducing multidimensional poverty to 11.5 percent by 2023-2024,” the expert said.

“The Government should ensure its skills and training programs reach the poorest families. While public works programs such as the Prime Minister’s Employment Program have considerable potential, in practice the program has yet to deliver on its promise of providing 100 days of work per person per year.

“In the country, 80 percent of workers are informal, which exposes them to higher rates of abuse, largely because the Government lacks the ability to enforce minimum wage legislation in the informal sector. Although informal workers should also contribute to and benefit from the Social Security Fund, there is currently no plan to include them in the program.”

De Schutter’s fact-finding mission began on 29 December, just weeks after the UN General Assembly voted a resolution inviting Nepal, along with Bangladesh and Lao People’s Democratic Republic, to prepare for graduation from the status of Least Developed Country (LDC) to that of an emerging economy. The country will benefit from a five-year transition period. “Graduation from LDC status is a major milestone for Nepal,” said De Schutter. “Poverty reduction must be at the heart of the country’s transition strategy to ensure that no groups are left behind.”

The UN expert met with communities who suffer from intersecting forms of deprivation. Most were landless daily wage laborers working in agricultural or informal jobs and struggling to send their children to school. Many were from historically disadvantaged and discriminated groups including Dalit, Madhesi, and Indigenous people, as well as women. “The stark inequalities resulting from the deeply entrenched norms and values of the Nepali caste system continue to perpetuate disadvantage today,” De Schutter said.

Women suffer the brunt of a historically patriarchal society, earning almost 30 percent less than men, suffering from higher rates of informality, owning only 19.7 percent of homes and land, and enduring a 17.5 percent literacy gap compared to men, the UN poverty expert noted. "Nepal can and must do better,” he said.

Children experience the worst forms of deprivation because of the poverty their families face, he added. Over one million children work in Nepal, and in rural areas over a fifth of children do.

“During my mission, I met with countless families whose children, especially girls, engaged in agricultural or domestic work,” De Schutter said. “Wealth inequality is a major factor: over 20 percent of children in poverty work, compared to only five percent of children from rich families.

“The Government must take child poverty seriously and take the necessary steps to end child marriage and labor and improve quality of and access to education,” he added.

During his mission, the Special Rapporteur visited Bagmati, Karnali, Lumbini provinces, as well as Province 2. He met with nine ministries, including six ministers, as well as local and provincial authorities, people affected by poverty, civil society organizations, and development cooperation and UN agencies.

U.S. Embassy in Nepal hosted a Summit for Democracy supporting event on the eve of the Summit, which will bring together leaders from government, civil society, and the private sector to set forth an affirmative agenda for democratic renewal December 9-10.

U.S. Ambassador to Nepal, Randy Berry, USAID Mission Director Sepideh Keyvanshad, Nepali leaders, activists, civil society members, and youth advocates discussed opportunities and challenges for social, political, and economic inclusion in Nepal and other democratic countries.

Addressing the event, Ambassador Berry highlighted the achievements Nepal made in the recent years, “In many ways Nepal serves as a model for the region and the world.  Within the last 15 years, Nepal has progressed through a violent Maoist conflict, subsequent peace process, the return of democratic governance, and the ratification of a constitution that defined Nepal as a secular, democratic, and federal government.”  Participants also discussed the historical and recent events within the United States that have tested–and reaffirmed–the strength of its democracy.

U.S. President Joe Biden will commemorate Human Rights Day by convening the first Summit for Democracy. 

The Summit will focus on three pillars and shared values of democratic nations:  fighting corruption, countering authoritarianism, and promoting human rights.  Prime Minister Sher Bahadur Deuba will represent Nepal at the invitation of President Biden, said the Embassy in a statement. The Summit will be a part of a series of programs supporting the resilience of democracy and overcoming challenges throughout the year 2022.

Nepali Congress, the party that has led every major political change in the country in the past seven decades, now appears to be a shell of its former self.  Perhaps for the first time in the party’s history, going into its General Convention, there has been zero debate on its future ideological course or the country’s burning issues. All the debates rather seem centered on which of the many candidates vying for leadership, largely based on their ability to dispense patronage, will prevail. Things couldn’t be more dispiriting.

Right now, the country is mired in some bitter ideological questions, regarding the future of its federal and republican structure, the judiciary’s independence, a long-running pandemic that is still not under control, a sinking economy and growing inequality—and all that the party traditionally at the vanguard of the Nepali democratic process is concerned about is choosing a new leader. That would not be such a bad thing if the top NC leaders were contesting based on their ideological differences and differing visions for the party and the country. No, all they seem concerned about is getting elected in any which way possible.

Also read: Editorial: Exclusionary UML 

Whosoever becomes the next Nepali Congress head, he—and it will be a ‘he’—will fail to inspire broader confidence. All the candidates in the fray are old faces, and people, more than anything else, would like to see a fresh face at the top. Also, the weakening of the political parties across the board could translate into another fractured mandate in the next set of elections, with all its attendant problems.

The election of Rajendra Lingden as the RPP chief is, in this way, a breath of fresh air, for he is both a new generation leader and has a solid ideological footing. Yet he leads a political party that wants to take the country back decades by reviving monarchy and Hindu state. It is ironic that the RPP should be teaching our more mature democratic parties the way to elect a new leader.

After being stalled for over a year by the pandemic, the producers of ‘Mantra’ have announced a release date of January 11. The movie, directed by Khil Bahadur Gurung, features Saugat Malla, Diya Pun and Buddi Tamang in lead roles.

The film, produced under the banner of Gorkha Siran Chowk and Liglig Kot Films, captures the beautiful scenery of the Himalayas and has been touted as a ‘Himalayan love story’. Director Gurung says Mantra is an organic film which was partly shot at the base camp of Manaslu at an altitude of over 5,100 meters.

The film also stars Namita Ghising, Bir Bahadur Lama, and Pasang T Sherpa.

Nani’s Kitchen offers a delightful combo of taste that is foreign yet homely. Situated near Labim Mall, Lalitpur, Nani’s—a branch of the eatery by the same name in Boudha—serves a variety of Japanese curry dishes and affordable bakery items.

After exploring different tastes and food arts all over the world, the restaurant owners were particularly fascinated by Japanese flavors—and they wanted to bring something completely new to the Nepali food scene.

Japanese curry is smooth and sweet, which is much different to the traditional South Asian offerings. With a chill outdoor seating, the ambiance only adds to the restaurant's lively vibe.

Nani’s Kitchen

Chef’s special dishes:

Japanese curry
Pistachio financier
Grilled spicy chicken sandwich

Opening time: 10:00 AM to 7:30 PM
Location: Pulchowk
Meal for 2: Rs 1,000
Phone pay: Yes
Delivery: Yes

The Ministry of Health and Population on December 6 informed of two cases of Covid-19 infections with the ‘Omicron’ variant in Nepal.

The new variant of the infectious virus was imported by a 66-year-old foreign national who in turn transmitted it to a 71-year-old who was accompanying him to Nepal. Both were fully vaccinated and had entered Nepal with PCR-negative reports. Reportedly, both of them are in isolation even though neither shows severe symptoms.

According to the ministry, a total of 66 persons who came close to the infected duo have been traced. All of them are tested negative with no health complications.