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Former British Gurkha soldiers have demanded that the Nepali citizenship obtained on the basis of descent should be retained.

In today's meeting of the State Affairs Committee under the House of Representatives, the representative of the former British Gurkha soldiers expressed that they want the continuation of the existing citizenship provided to them and not a new one.

On that occasion, British Gurkha veteran Krishna Kumar Rai said that the issue of citizenship has raised concerns whether the recruitment of Nepali youths in the British army will be stopped or if Nepali citizenship will be continued.

Stating that Nepal receives an annual amount of approximately 210 million pound as pay for the contribution of the former Gurkha soldiers to the British Army, he expressed the view that the issue of citizenship not being granted to the youth enlisted in the British Army as per the agreement between Nepal and the UK contradicts the core values of human rights.

The meeting was informed that currently around 3,500 Nepali youths are working as Gurkha soldiers in the British Army and there are about 22 thousand retired British Gurkha soldiers.

Rai said, "It is necessary to rectify the situation where the Gurkha soldiers serving in the British Army when he dies in war is counted as a British citizen, and when he returns alive is taken to be a Nepali citizen. Dialogue between Nepal and Britain is essential regarding this."

For 210 years since 1814 the British Gurkha soldiers have acted as a bridge of friendship between Britain and Nepal, and according to Hom Kirati Sunuwar, a former British Gurkha, it is not a matter of their desire to acquire the British passport and residency right but a compulsion.

Another former British Gurkha soldier, Himal Rai, emphasized the continuity of citizenship for descendants, pointing out that Nepal has been consistently receiving large sums of pound sterling, thanks to the contributions of talented young manpower of Gurkha descent in the British Army without any distinct financial investment.

Today, the Committee discussed and sought opinions regarding the issues raised by the ex-British Gurkha soldiers concerning the bill proposed to amend the Citizenship Act of Nepal 2063.

Meanwhile, earlier the House of Representatives, International Relations and Tourism Committee had instructed the government to take necessary initiatives to address the demands related to justice and equality raised by the ex-British Gurkha servicemen.

Israeli naval forces boarded and seized a charity vessel that had tried to break a naval blockade of the war-torn Gaza Strip on Monday and the boat with its crew of 12, including activist Greta Thunberg, is now heading to a port in Israel, Reuters reported.

The British-flagged yacht, Madleen, which is operated by the pro-Palestinian Freedom Flotilla Coalition, was aiming to deliver a symbolic amount of aid to Gaza later on Monday and raise international awareness of the humanitarian crisis there.

However, the boat was boarded during the night before it could reach shore, the FFC said on its Telegram account. The Israeli Foreign Ministry later confirmed that it was under Israeli control, according to Reuters.

"The 'selfie yacht' of the 'celebrities' is safely making its way to the shores of Israel. The passengers are expected to return to their home countries," the ministry wrote on X.

Tensions in Los Angeles escalated Sunday as thousands of protesters took to the streets in response to President Donald Trump’s extraordinary deployment of the National Guard, blocking off a major freeway and setting self-driving cars on fire as law enforcement used tear gas, rubber bullets, and flash bangs to control the crowd, Associated Press reported.

Some police patrolled the streets on horseback while others with riot gear lined up behind Guard troops deployed to protect federal facilities including a detention center where some immigrants were taken in recent days. Police declared an unlawful assembly, and by early evening many people had left.

But protesters who remained grabbed chairs from a nearby public park to form a makeshift barrier, throwing objects at police on the other side. Others standing above the closed southbound 101 Freeway threw chunks of concrete, rocks, electric scooters and fireworks at California Highway Patrol officers and their vehicles that were parked on the highway. Officers ran under an overpass to take cover, according to Associated Press.

It was the third day of demonstrations against Trump’s immigration crackdown in the region, as the arrival of around 300 federal troops spurred anger and fear among some residents. Sunday’s protests in Los Angeles, a city of 4 million people, were centered in several blocks of downtown.

The Nepal Stock Exchange (NEPSE) gained 27.29 points to close at 2,657.19 points on Sunday.

Similarly, the sensitive index surged by 3.04 points to close at 452. 31 points.

A total of 17,501,802-unit shares of 324 companies were traded for Rs 8. 68 billion.

Meanwhile, Butwal Power Company Limited (BPCL), Makar Jitumaya Suri Hydropower Limited (MAKAR), Pure Energy Limited (PURE), Dolti Power Company Limited (DOLTI) and Bindhyabasini Hydropower Development Company Limited (BHDC) were the top gainers today, with their price surging by 9. 99 percent. Likewise, Saptakoshi Development Bank Ltd (SAPDBL) was the top loser as its price fell by 8.61 percent.

At the end of the day, total market capitalization stood at Rs 4. 41 trillion.

House of Representatives Devraj Speaker Ghimire said that the Parliament meeting will commence from 2 pm today.

The Speaker said so after observing the photo exhibition entitled 'Mountain Tourism: Our Pride, Our Identity' organized by Rastriya Samachar Samiti, the National News Agency to commemorate the 18th Republic Day, today.

"The House does not necessarily have to be obstructed, but it is. The meeting of the House of Representatives will be held from 2 pm today. Generally, meetings used to be scheduled for 11 am and 1 am, but today the meeting has been set for 2 pm. I hope that the Parliament will start from 2 pm," he said on the occasion.

Speaker Ghimire said that the House meeting was disrupted just when it was about to hold discussions on important agendas of the budget. "Now, it is necessary to reduce the number of lawmakers taking part in the deliberations and to conduct the discussions according to the procedure," the Speaker said, adding that the House obstruction has already caused the damage and the agenda for now should be set accordingly, and the discussion on the budget should be concluded according to the procedure.

Speaker Ghimire asserted that the meeting agenda would now be set in order to conclude the deliberations on the budget within the fixed timeline.

The Karnali provincial government has announced plans to reduce the use of chemical pesticides and eventually declare the province pesticide-free. However, a lack of concrete action has hindered progress toward achieving this goal.

In the initial phase, the government planned to establish pesticide testing laboratories at key entry points to Karnali and inspect fruits and vegetables for pesticide residues. Accordingly, laboratories were set up in Harre (Surkhet) and Kapurkot (Salyan)—the main gateways to the province. But these facilities remain non-operational.

To prevent the entry of pesticide-laden produce from outside Karnali, the government intended to conduct tests at these checkpoints and block contaminated goods. However, the testing process has not commenced. The laboratories are in a state of disrepair, lacking essential equipment, manpower, and budget—despite millions of rupees being spent on their construction.

For instance, a pesticide testing laboratory building was constructed six years ago at Harre, Surkhet, costing around Rs 7m. Yet, it remains unused due to the absence of skilled personnel and equipment. According to the Integrated Agricultural Laboratory of Karnali Province, the delay is mainly due to budget constraints and a shortage of technical staff.

Chitra Bahadur Rokaya, a senior agricultural economist at the Integrated Agricultural Laboratory, said, “The laboratory lacks essential equipment, and due to the absence of budget and manpower, the building itself has started to deteriorate.” He added that repeated requests to the ministry for the required resources have gone unanswered. Although six staff members were requested for the labs in Surkhet and Kapurkot, they have not been deployed.

The campaign to make Karnali an organic province began in 2017, when the first meeting of the provincial Council of Ministers made it a priority. In 2019, the second meeting of the Karnali Provincial Coordination Council decided to make the province organic within two years. To support this initiative, an agriculture-related bill was passed in 2018 during the first term of the Provincial Assembly.

Despite these policy decisions, the use of chemical pesticides continues to rise in Karnali. A premature declaration of becoming an organic province, without adequate preparation, staffing, or viable alternatives to chemical fertilizers and pesticides, has hampered implementation.

To address the issue, the provincial government has classified 718 wards based on pesticide usage. Of these, 195 are labeled as green zones (fully organic), 446 as yellow zones (moderate pesticide use), 55 as red zones (high pesticide use), 59 as green-first stage zones, and two wards as a mix of red and green. The government aims to gradually transition all wards to fully organic status.

Mukunda Bahadur Malla of Mallarani Rural Municipality-5, Sarangkot, has been cultivating mushrooms commercially, producing about 1,000 kilograms per month. He sells them in the market through his employees.

In addition to market sales, Malla receives a subsidy of Rs 50 per kilogram when he delivers mushrooms to the collection center operated by Mallarani Rural Municipality. The municipality provides production-based subsidies to farmers to support agricultural marketing. In the last quarter alone, Malla sold 702.5 kilograms of mushrooms through the collection center and received a subsidy of Rs 35,125.

Ramesh Kumar Shrestha, vice-chairperson of Mallarani Rural Municipality, said that the production-based subsidy is part of their broader policy to commercialize agriculture and promote self-employment in line with local needs and contexts.

“Business and jobs may not be available to everyone, but we have introduced this policy to make agriculture more commercial and self-sustaining,” he said. He expressed confidence that the initiative will help farmers become more competitive and lead the municipality toward self-reliance.

The municipality provides subsidies based on product type: Rs 10 per kg for vegetables, Rs 15 for pulses, Rs 15 for spices, Rs 15 for eggs, Rs 50 for ghee, and Rs 50 for mushrooms. The subsidy guidelines also allow for additional products to be included at any time.

By the third quarter of the current fiscal year, Mallarani Rural Municipality had distributed approximately Rs 350,000 in production-based subsidies. According to Moti Acharya, head of the agriculture branch, Rs 52,900 was distributed in the first quarter, Rs 89,000 in the second, and Rs 197,687 in the third.

Satyamohan Rana of Mallarani Rural Municipality-2, Kharindanda, said the new subsidy model has motivated farmers more than previous distribution-based systems. “The motivation to produce more has awakened in farmers,” he said. “There is competition among them to increase output.”

Meanwhile, Pyuthan Municipality has been providing subsidies on milk at Rs 10 per liter, said Giriraj Poudel, chief officer of the municipality’s Animal Service Branch. So far this fiscal year, farmers have collected and sold 71,020 liters of milk, earning a total subsidy of Rs 710,200. A total of 82 individuals have benefited from the program, with funds directly deposited into their bank accounts.

Since Pyuthan is a market-oriented urban area, the collected milk is delivered to nearby market hubs, said Bhoj Bahadur Basnet, chairperson of the Shivalaya Milk Collection Cooperative, Khaira.

The price of gold has dropped by Rs 100 per tola in the domestic market on Monday.

According to the Federation of Nepal Gold and Silver Dealers’ Association, the yellow metal is being traded at Rs 190, 600 per tola today. It was traded at Rs 190, 700 per tola on Sunday.

The price of silver, however, has increased by Rs 5 and is being traded at Rs 2, 150 per tola today.