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Students of the School of Management, Tribhuvan University (SOMTU) have launched a silent protest against the university administration’s decision to introduce Free Student Union (FSU) elections within their institution. The demonstration, now in its fourth day, aims to preserve SOMTU’s tradition as a politics-free academic environment.

For the past 13 years, SOMTU has operated without FSU involvement, fostering a purely academic atmosphere centered on professional growth and leadership development. However, the recent decision by the Vice-Chancellor and Rector to impose FSU voting rights without prior consultation with students, faculty, or the institution’s administration has triggered strong opposition.

“SOMTU is not just another college; we are here to learn, grow, and gain knowledge. We do not want the disruption and chaos that often come with student politics,” said a protesting student. “We believe in academic excellence and a professional learning environment, and the introduction of student union politics will jeopardize that.”

Following the announcement, students reported that FSU representatives began campaigning inside classrooms, disrupting academic activities. In response, a petition signed by over 80% of eligible student voters has been submitted to key university authorities, including SOMTU, the Faculty of Management (FOM), and Tribhuvan University (TU), urging them to revoke the decision.

The students have outlined two primary demands: The immediate revocation of voting rights for FSU elections at SOMTU and the prevention of any further FSU interference to maintain a professional and academic-focused learning environment.

“We are not against democracy, but student unions in Nepal have historically disrupted education rather than improving it. We do not want SOMTU to become another battleground for political agendas,” a student representative stated.

On the occasion of Global Recycling Day, which is observed every year on March 18, South Asia Co-operative Environment Programme (SACEP) representatives inaugurated a Material Recovery Factory (MRF) in Kapan, Kathmandu. According to general secretary of CREASION Sujata Koirala, this facility is designed to bale 60 MT of scrap PET bottles collected from informal waste workers, which will then be recycled at the PET Recycling Facility in Bharatpur, Chitwan, as part of Project CAP. "This is more than just an opening; it is the first step towards closing the loop in sustainable plastic waste management," Koirala said.

Gyan Raj Subedi, Director General of the Department of Environment, said during the inauguration program, "I am delighted to see such progress towards reducing plastic pollution. This is also a positive initiative because it has created numerous job opportunities for marginalised communities by transforming waste into a circular and green economy."

Similarly, Anjalie Devaraja, SACEP's Project Director, stated, "It is an honour to be here and to inaugurate this facility, as many people came together to make it grand and rewarding to fight this battle against plastic pollution." Aanand Mishra, Founder and President of CREASION, emphasised that the collaboration has been both challenging and rewarding. "We were extremely cautious about ensuring health and safety for continued and successful collaboration." “Furthermore, this is not just a project for us; this is our emotion, and we have worked with various collaborators and contributors,including marginalised communities schools and children. Not one, but every single person helped make it a grand success,” he added.

So far, 85 percent of the work on the Beni-Jomsom-Korala section of the Kaligandaki Corridor has been completed under the North-South Trade Route Expansion Project.

Except for the nine projects added in the current fiscal year, the overall physical progress of the section has reached 85 percent, Information Officer of Beni-Jomsom-Korala Road Project Bishnu Chapagain stated.

Chapagain said that 85 percent physical progress has been made towards upgrading the road and 84 percent towards construction of bridges and culverts.

He said that the construction of the national pride project connecting the northern Korala border transit point was started from the fiscal year 2016/17.

According to Project Information Officer Chapagain, seven big and small roads have been blacktopped while six roads have been graveled under the road expansion project. He said the blacktopping and upgrading of the road has been completed in seven phases including Beni Kalipul, Beni Galeshwor, Tatopani to Kaiku, Kaiku to Kowang and Jomsom Kagbeni section of Myagdi.

Chapagain added that the work on the Jomsom-Korala section has been completed in six phases and the graveling work on 25 kilometers of Charang-Chhoser section has reached the final stage.

According to him, a contract was signed for blacktopping 105-km road and of this 75-km blacktopping has been completed. Similarly, out of 110 km Jomsom-Korala section, graveling has been completed on 90 km of the road, according to the Project Office.

Of the 19 bridges that were to be constructed under the Project, 14 have already been completed while the rest are under construction, said Chapagain, the information officer at the Project Office.

Of the 14 bridges completed, nine were constructed in Mustang section and five in the Myagdi section.

The government has started discussions with Cambodia to operate direct air services.

The government discussed the operation of the air service during a meeting with senior Cambodian government officials in Phnom Penh on Tuesday.

Minister for Culture, Tourism and Civil Aviation Badri Prasad Pandey, who is on a visit to Cambodia, held discussions with his Cambodian counterpart regarding the operation of direct air service between Nepal and Cambodia.

He also met with the Minister for Culture and Religious Affairs of Cambodia, Chay Borin, and discussed the matter.

On the occasion, discussions were held between Nepal and Cambodia on developing religious and tourism networks along with the Greater Buddha Circuit, the Ministry of Culture, Tourism and Civil Aviation stated.

Minister Pandey also discussed tourism promotion and various aspects of bilateral interests between the two countries.

The main opposition CPN (Maoist Center) has demanded a fair investigation into the seizure of Rs 250 million.

Speaking at a meeting of the House of Representatives on Wednesday, Maoist Center lawmaker Madhav Sapkota demanded a special probe committee to investigate the case.

Police on Tuesday arrested and made public the person arrested with more than Rs 250m from Jhor of Tokha Municipality-1.

Organizing a press conference in Kathmandu, police paraded Kusang Lama (43) of Bhotekoshi Rural Municipality-1, Sindhupalchowk.

A team from the Kathmandu Valley Crime Investigation Office, Teku had nabbed Lama with Rs 251.60m from Jhor while he was heading to Kerung from Kathmandu in a truck, concealing the money in a false bottom beside the driver’s seat.

According to police, Lama, a driver, has confessed that he was working as a courier.

The arrestee has already served a seven-year jail term in a gold smuggling case.

SSP Ramesh Basnet of the Kathmandu Valley Crime Investigation Office said Lama has been sent to the Customs Department in Harihar Bhawan for further investigation.

Results of Free Student Union (FSU) elections of the Tribhuvan University (TU) have been made public.

ANNFSU candidates emerged winners in Nepal Commerce Campus and Mahendra Ratna Campus Tahchal of Kathmandu. Bishal Rokaha and Ishwor Thapa have been elected the Presidents of Commerce Campus and Mahendra Ratna, respectively, according to ANNFSU vice-president Narayan Gharti.

Likewise, Nepal Student Union (NSU) candidates have secured their win in Thapathali Engineering and Maharajgunj Nursing Campus.

Prahlad Khadka and Bindu Pokharel have been elected Presidents in Thapathali and Maharajgunj respectively, according to NSU spokesperson Suraj Sejuwal.

Similarly, ANNISU (Revolutionary) has won the Public Administration Campus and Sanothimi Multipurpose Campus, Bhaktapur.

Aniket Tiwari and Narendra Thagunna have been elected Presidents in Public Administration and Sanothimi respectively, ANNISU (R)'s general secretary Roshan Magar informed.

Independent candidate Soyam Shrestha has been elected President in Pulchowk Engineering Campus.

Elections were held in 38 constituent and 250 affiliated campuses across the country on Tuesday.

Total lending by commercial banks during the first eight months of the fiscal year 2024/25 has increased by 6.12 percent, reaching Rs 4,851bn, according to the Nepal Bankers’ Association (NBA).

This growth reflects a gradual recovery in economic activities and an uptick in demand for credit from businesses and individuals. The 20 commercial banks operating in the country collectively disbursed an additional Rs 280bn in loans between mid-July 2024 and mid-March 2025.

The NBA’s data reveals that the highest credit disbursement occurred in the month of Poush (mid-December to mid-January), with banks lending Rs 94bn. This was followed by Rs 56bn in Ashwin (mid-September to mid-October), Rs 53bn in Bhadra (mid-August to mid-September), and Rs 42bn in Mangsir (mid-November to mid-December).

However, not all banks experienced growth in loan disbursement. Global IME Bank, Kumari Bank, NIC Asia Bank, Siddhartha Bank, and Standard Chartered Bank reported a decline in their loan portfolios compared to the previous month. For instance, Global IME Bank’s total credit disbursement dropped by Rs 1.51bn, bringing its total loan investment to Rs 429bn. Similarly, Kumari Bank’s loan investment decreased by Rs 480 million to Rs 301.09bn, while NIC Asia Bank saw a reduction from Rs 252.45bn to Rs 242.9bn over the same period.

 The government has set an ambitious target of increasing credit disbursement by 12.5 percent in the current fiscal year. However, the data from the first eight months suggests that achieving this target may be difficult. The slow growth in credit disbursement, coupled with economic uncertainties, has raised concerns among stakeholders about the banking sector’s ability to meet the government's expectations.

 On the other hand, total deposits in commercial banks grew by 4.9 percent to Rs 6,037bn during the eight-month period, up from Rs 5,755bn in mid-July 2024. Over this period, commercial banks added Rs 282bn in deposits, with the highest increase of Rs 133bn recorded in Ashwin (mid-September to mid-October). Other notable increases included Rs 73bn in Bhadra (mid-August to mid-September), Rs 51bn in Poush (mid-December to mid-January), Rs 40bn in Falgun (mid-February to mid-March), and Rs 33bn in Mangsir (mid-November to mid-December).

The price of gold has reached an all-time high in the domestic market on Wednesday, setting a new historical record.

According to the Federation of Nepal Gold and Silver Traders, the price of gold has increased by Rs 800 per tola to reach Rs 176, 000 per tola today. It was traded at Rs 175, 200 per tola on Tuesday.

Meanwhile, the price of silver has seen a slight decline. The price of silver has dropped by Rs 5 and is being traded at Rs 2,045 per tola.