Submit your Article

Nepal SBI Bank employees have accused the bank of misappropriating their funds in the name of social security.

The bank enrolled its employees with the Social Security Fund without their consent and deposited money in their name without their knowledge, an employee told ApEx requesting anonymity.

The bank pressed ahead with its decision to participate in the fund’s programs during the last month of previous fiscal year even as a petition filed by employees of various banks remains sub-judice.

Also read: Complaint against suspected insider trading

After the Supreme Court issued a stay on the case, the bank had agreed to refund the employees, but it didn’t do so, employees say.

Before the government rolled out the SSF, Nepal SBI employees participated in the Employees’ Provident Fund. But the bank has also stopped sending money to the fund.

The employees’ union has levelled other charges against the bank management as well. It has accused the bank of not maintaining accurate records of money sent to the Employees’ Provident Fund, not transferring employees working in rural areas to urban areas for a long time and cutting down on different perks to employees.

CPN-UML Chairman KP Sharma Oli feels aggrieved that the media does not do enough to rein in the excesses of the Sher Bahadur Deuba government. In a meeting with editors on September 28, he said the previous government he led had benefited from the media’s scrutiny. It is thus incumbent on the media to similarly hold the new government to account. He was particularly unhappy about the ‘little’ media coverage on the Deuba government’s undemocratic ordinance brought with the sole purpose of ‘splitting’ the UML party.

But the mainstream and even smaller media outlets have mostly condemned Deuba’s bypassing of the parliament in his introduction of an ordinance that made it easier for political parties to split. The common theme in these reported pieces and editorials is that the Deuba government appears no better than its error-prone predecessor. Post-1990, Nepali media have always been critical of the incumbent government, irrespective of the parties in power. And rightly so, as the rulers over the years have invariably trampled on democratic norms in the pursuit of personal goals.

Also read: Editorial: PM Deuba, missing in action

Frankly, given the excesses of the Oli government—including its disbanding of the parliament on dubious constitutional grounds, twice—Deuba’s mistakes seem benign by comparison. It’s common knowledge that Deuba as government head has many failings. But while people had high expectations of the two-thirds government Oli led, they expect little from Deuba. Doubts are already creeping in about whether Deuba can successfully conduct the three-tier elections, which was his only mandate.

Oli crying wolf at Deuba’s wrongdoings would have been more credible had his own government heeded the media’s voice. Whatever the opinion-makers and media houses said, PM Oli was determined to have his way. So rather than asking the media to do its job, Oli, as the leader of the main opposition, should play a more constructive role in ensuring that the parliament resumes its business and this government successfully conducts the elections. Dissolving the parliament now, which Oli seems intent on, would only invite more uncertainty, and make timely polls less, not more, likely.

As you walk down Nakkhu road, the warm golden fairy lights of Saan’s Espresso Cafe catch your eyes. This cafe has a beautiful rooftop lounge where you can enjoy your meal with the warm-toned vibes and light music in the background. 

Saan’s was opened almost two years ago, and stands out as a rare hang-out cafe in the area. From fresh morning breakfasts to low-key evening dinners, it serves good food at reasonable prices. The friendly staffers and good services add to the welcoming nature of this space. It is the perfect spot for a fun evening hangout with friends or to take your significant other on a peaceful evening date. 

Saan’s Espresso Cafe

Chef’s Special Dishes:

Lasagna (on Fridays)
Grill Chicken 
Cheese Cake 

Opening time: 7 am - 8:30 pm 
Location: Bagdole, Lalitpur 
Phone pay 
No reservations

Subeksha Khadka, the winner of Miss Nepal International 2012 and World Miss University Nepal 2017, has made a comeback by signing up for Prema, an upcoming movie directed by Govind Singh Bhandari.

Khadka started her modeling career as a television presenter at the age of 17 and made her acting debut in the film Ranveer, which was also directed by Bhandari in 2019.

Beauty pageants have become a great platform for aspiring actors to pave their way to the big screen. Many models who have won the main title in competitions such as Miss Nepal have Nepali movie actors.

Khadka has been busy shooting the film in the past two weeks. The film holds a special place in her heart, she said on her Instagram.

Yeti Airlines, one of Nepal’s leading airline companies, has completed 23 years of service. The company, which began operations on 21 September 1998, has been focussing on connecting remote mountainous regions of the country to the urban centres.

Yeti has played an important role of delivering food, medicines and clothing to residents of areas not connected by road.

“The airlines prioritizes appropriate ticket prices, hassle-free travel arrangements and quality services to customers,” says company spokesperson Sudarshan Bartaula.

The airline is also Nepal’s one and only carbon neutral airline. The airline now has five ATR planes which fly to Nepaganj, Bhadrapur, Janakpur, Pokhara, Simara, Bhairahawa and Biratnagar. 

Its sister company Tara Air has four Twin Otter planes that fly to Lukla, Phaplu, Jumla, Rara, Dolpa and Bajura, among others.

Chinese car manufacturer Changan Auto is opening a showroom in Kathmandu. One of the fastest growing auto companies, Changan already has its footprint in over 60 countries. 

The showroom will be located at the heart of the city and will have ample parking space, the company said in a statement. The company claims that the showroom will redefine the customers’ in-store experience. 

Changan is considered to be one of the "Big Four" Chinese automakers. In 2016, it manufactured 3 million units to rank fourth among China's automakers by production volume.

Changan designs, develops, manufactures, and sells passenger cars sold under the Changan brand and commercial vehicles. It operates joint ventures with Ford (Changan Ford), and Mazda (Changan Mazda) which respectively produce Ford and Mazda branded passenger cars for the Chinese market. It also has a joint venture with Jiangling Motors Corporation Group (JMCG) and Aiways, which produces SUVs sold under the Landwind brand.

A complaint has been filed at the Securities Board of Nepal (Sebon) demanding investigation into suspected insider trading of shares of four hydropower companies.

Dhruba Prasad Bhatta, who identified himself as an ‘investor’, filed an application at the regulatory board seeking investigation into alleged insider trading of stocks belonging to Arun Valley, Ridi, Rairang and United Modi hydropower companies.

Bhatta alleges that sensitive information that could affect the share prices of the companies were leaked and those who received the information made profits. Bhatta says that information related to the issuance of right and bonus shares were made available to insiders who bought the shares just before their prices increased and sold them at high prices.

The complaint comes as board chairman Bhisma Raj Dhungana himself is under investigation for abusing his authority to buy shares of Sarbottam Cements, which is preparing an initial public offering using the book building method, at a low rate.

Although insider trading was suspected in other companies in the past, the board has rarely taken action against those involved.

A two-country Himalayan Vegan Festival is being held in April 2022 in Thimpu, Bhutan and Kathmandu, Nepal. The festival organizing committee informed as much during a special vegan buffet held at Utpala Café, Boudha, on September 18.  

The first of the two-part event will be held in Kathmandu from April 15-17, to be followed by the second part in Thimpu from April 18-20.

The goal is to raise awareness about the benefits of a plant-based diet and encourage more people to go vegan. “There are endless reasons one should go vegan,” says Zachary Lovas, general secretary of World Vegan Organization and a member of the organizing team of the Himalayan Vegan Festival. “We want to promote a vegan lifestyle and educate people about the necessity of veganism in today’s world”.

An Oxford University study says adopting a vegan diet can reduce one’s carbon footprint by up to 73 percent. A lot of methane, a gas responsible for climate change and global warming, is produced during the raising of livestock. Then a copious amount of carbon-di-oxide and carbon-mono-oxide, both greenhouse gases, are released in their transport. If we stop eating meat and meat products, a major chunk of food-based air pollutants will be removed from the atmosphere.

Shifting to a plant-based has multiple health benefits and it helps eliminate animal cruelty. “There has always been this debate about whether humans are carnivorous, herbivorous, or omnivorous. Let us put all that aside and just be humans,” Lovas adds.