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 Following the implemen­tation of the new Civil Code (2017), the number of men seeking to part ways with their wives has shot up. In a month and a half starting August 17, 98 men applied for divorce at the Kathmandu Dis­trict Court (KDC). During that time, 87 women did the same. Every day, the court gets 8-9 such applications. Its records show only 3-4 women sought divorce on a daily basis in the corresponding period last year.

Before the new code came into being, there was no legal basis for men to directly file for divorce. Under the old code, men first had to get the recommendation of ward offices, whereupon they could petition with the VDC, DDC or municipalities to have their case filed in a court of law. But women directly petition the courts.

A local of Manmaiju in Kath­mandu, who had gone to Doha for work, was recently at the Kathmandu District Court to file for divorce. According to his application, he had got­ten into a “love marriage” in 2003. The couple then had a daughter, who is now study­ing in class eight. He says he decided to file for divorce because he has ‘concrete evidence’ of his wife’s involve­ment with other men.

Compared to last year, the number of women seeking divorce has also increased. Husbands not fulfilling their wifes’ necessities such as food and clothing, domestic vio­lence, ignoring of wife after going to a foreign country, throwing her out of the house, and extra-marital affair are some cited reasons for filing for divorce. There are also cases of fake court marriages done solely for the purpose of going abroad.

Because of the high popu­lation density in Kathmandu, more divorce cases are reg­istered here compared to other districts. “There is no one reason for divorce”, says Tika Singh Khatri, an offi­cial at the case registration department at the KDC. “But in Kathmandu more men than women are filing for divorce.”

If husband and wife both agree to divorce each other, then there is provision to do so under Article 93. Under article 94, if the wife stays away from her husband for three or more years without his permission, does not give her husband food and clothing, keeps him out of the house, gives him mental or physical torture, or has extra-marital affair, a divorce case can be filed against her.

After an application is filed, the court tries to make peace between husband and wife. If they still want to divorce, then, according to the law, property is distributed and the two go separate ways.

But women’s rights activist Meera Kumari Dhungana says the changed law has loopholes that could allow men not to give anything to their wives. “If men now file for divorce, they can now easily get rid of their old wives and get new ones,” Dhungana says.

In the Nepali context, the new Civil Code could further entrench old discriminations against women, she fears.

But, she adds, “a lot also depends on how our courts interpret the new law.”

The Asian Development Bank’s latest Nepal Macroeconomic Update is reflective of the fears surrounding the implementation of fed­eralism and operationalization of the three tiers of government. It projects the national economy to grow by 5.5 percent in 2018/19, well below the gov­ernment target of 8 percent, but still respectable con­sidering an average of 4.3 percent growth over the past one decade.

Boosting growth this year will be expectation of political stability, as well as normal monsoon and implementation of mega-infrastructure projects, says the report. But it then points out limited capacity of sub-national government units and complications in implementation of federalism as the biggest obstacles to growth. “Slow progress in requisite legislation and deployment of staff, the need for further clarification of mandates and responsibilities of the three tiers of government, and inconsistencies in revenue mobiliza­tion regarding fees and taxes at local levels” could all hinder smooth operationalization of fiscal federalism.

Clearly, for Nepal to prosper there should be a high level of coordination between the three tiers of gov­ernment, and a level of agreement on resource mobi­lization and spending. Yet what we see is the opposite. Local units complain that even though they have been saddled with many responsibilities, the center has been miserly about giving them the needed money and manpower. Likewise, the seven provincial gov­ernments are unhappy that between them ‘the center and the local units have appropriated all vital powers’ and the province-level governments as such have been made redundant. The federal government for its part says these are birth pangs of federalism and things will be sorted out in due course.

In other words, there is currently little trust between the different tiers, which in turn is crimping their growth prospects. If the ruling coalition under Prime Minister KP Sharma Oli is serious about honoring its promise of all-round prosperity, it will have to start trusting the lower tiers more, and not hesitate to del­egate vital powers and resources. In a federal system, the center acts not so much as guardians of lower tiers but more as facilitators of their aspirations for devel­opment. Yes, there is room for abuse of such delegat­ed powers. But then the old unitary dispensation was hardly a model of economic rectitude. The onus is on the all-powerful federal government to honor the let­ter and spirit of federalism.

OYO now has 500 rooms in Pokhara

 OYO, South Asia’s largest and one of the world’s fastest growing chain of hotels, has inau­gurated its 500th exclusive room in the city of Pokhara, with the induction in its ranks of the 42-room, OYO 151 Hotel Snowland. Dhan Bahadur Nepali, Honorable Speaker of Pokhara Metropolitan City, inaugurated the property, which will host hundreds of guests during the Pokhara Premier League, for which OYO is the official hospitality partner. The expansion is in line with OYO’s mission of creating beautiful living spaces, powered by technology at an affordable cost. Across Nepal, OYO has partnered with over 80 hotels offering 1,400+ OYO branded, comfortably furnished rooms, which include mod­ern amenities including complimentary breakfast, spotless linen, free WiFi, television and 24/7 sup­port with rates starting as low as Rs 999 per night and averaging at Rs 2,000 per night.

OPPOx Nepal Idol surprise with WildCard entry

OPPOxNe­pal Idol, the first-ever inter­national fran­chised televi­sion singing reality show in Nepal has entered its gala rounds. The show this week surprised its viewers with wild card entry announcement. The top-most voted contestant from the wild card entries will join the remaining nine contestants to complete the ‘Top 10’ lineup. In response to the overwhelming interest of its consumers, OPPO has also announced its “Passes to Nepal Idol-2” contest. The weekly contest run by OPPO via its official Facebook account will allow three contestants to win two passes each. To take part and win, all that OPPO fans need to do is to like and share the contest video with a specified hashtag.

Bangladeshis got a rare taste of Nepali culture and heritage with the screen­ing of the play “Naugedi” at the BHUMIZ International Theater Festival at Panchagarh District in northern part of Bangladesh. The play won the hearts of even those who did not understand Nepali. The audience clapped at the end of every scene. Encour­aged by the positive energy of the audience, Nepali actors did really well on stage. The play showcases Nuwakot’s yearly Dupcheswor Mela and the lives surrounding it. Puru Lamsal, who penned and directed the play, says there is a belief that if you visit this Mela you will be blessed with good luck. Childless couples would be blessed with a child, couples’ love would be success­ful and those who are single would find a good life-part­ner. And the play revolves around this belief. Lamsal adds that the play also deals with the issues of untouchabil­ity and sex trafficking.

The eight-day festival from October 9-16 had fea­tured plays from Nepal, India and Bangladesh.

 Classic Mo:Mo is not just your regular mo:mo joint. Its serves delicious varieties of scrump­tious momos with no MSG, no added fats, no preservatives, no artificial coloring and no flavor enhancers.

Located on the north-west side of Narayan chaur, Naxal (RR Building), at Classic Mo:Mo customers can choose their own unique fillings and style of cooking. Besides the regular chicken and veggie options, Clas­sic offers fish, ostrich, banana and spinach fillings, to name a few, which the customers can have steamed, fried, in soup or even as “MoBurgers.”

Affordable and hygienic (all the momos are made with employees wearing gloves and with exclusive use of olive oil), Classic Mo:Mo also offers frozen takeaways so that you also have a stock of tasty momos handy for just about any occasion.

Photo by Pritam Chhetri

Rest and recharge at Pullahari Monastery located at the outskirts of Kathmandu valley. Explore its colorful architecture, then take a seat on the white marble veranda admiring the complex as well as the green, hilly landscape all round. Join a meditation session, have a meal in the restaurant there, and feel free to speak to the monks, who will gladly tell you all about the monastery.

Take an exclusive ox-cart ride to the elephant breeding center at Chitwan, the first of its kind in Asia. There, you can see how elephants mate, how pregnant females are nursed and how calves are reared, trained and tamed. The main purpose of the government-run center is to raise elephants and train them to ferry visitors around.

Gurja Khani, the Hidden Village, is one of the remotest trekking destinations in Nepal. Surrounded on all sides by wild mountains and untouched by roads, the village offers breathtaking natural beauty and one of the most pristine natural settings. Located at the base of the Dhaulagiri range, Gurja Khani is completely isolated from the modern world, with the nearest village a day’s trek away. But surprisingly, you can get there only after three days of trek from Pokhara. No better place for a bit of calm and meditation.