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The Nepal Electricity Authority (NEA) has urged its subsidiary Chilime Hydropower Limited to complete the construction of the Madhya Bhotekoshi Hydropower Project and the Khimti-Bahrabise transmission line in Sindhupalchowk within a month.

During the testing of the structure and equipment to start electricity generation from the completed Madhya Bhotekoshi, the tunnel leaked while pouring water and currently it is being repaired for improvement of the tunnel and to stop it from leaking. 

As 40 MW of electricity has been generated from the Madhya Bhotekoshi with an installed capacity of 102 MW during the winter months it is regarded as a great importance for managing electricity supply as per the demand of the winter months, the NEA management has taken the initiative and urged to bring Madhya Bhotekoshi into operation as soon as possible.

A team comprising Kulman Ghising, Executive Director of the NEA, and Subhash Kumar Mishra, Chief Executive Officer (CEO) of Chilime Hydropower Company and Chairman of the Board of Directors of Madhya Bhotekoshi Hydropower Company, have conducted a monitoring visit to the transmission line and substation and taken information about the construction progress.

The construction of the 400 kV transmission line from the new Khimti substation in Ramechhap to Bahrabise in Sindhupalchowk under the Tamakoshi-Kathmandu kV transmission line project, which will transmit electricity generated from the Madhya Bhotekoshi Hydropower Project, is in the final stage. All the towers in the Khimti-Bahrabise section under the transmission line project have been erected. Only about one kilometer of wire remains to be laid.

The 400 kV new Khimti-Bahrabise transmission line will be brought into operation at 200 kV immediately and the electricity of Madhya Bhotekoshi will be incorporated into the national transmission grid. The process of installing the necessary infrastructure at the new Khimti and Bahrabise substations to charge the line at 200 kV has already progressed.

The team led by Executive Director Ghising has discussed the ongoing work at the new Khimti and Bahrabise substations to charge the Khimti-Bahrabise line at 200 kV and instructed the project management and construction entrepreneurs to immediately proceed with the remaining work. The team also inspected the ongoing wire pulling work at the Tripurasundari Rural Municipality-2 intersection in Sindhupalchok under the transmission line.

Stating that the construction of both projects was sensitive and essential, Ghising personally came to the field to monitor the construction, he also directed to take the construction seriously and coordinate the remaining work expeditiously. A four-kilometer 220 kV transmission line connecting the powerhouse of the Madhya Bhotekoshi project in Bahrabise Municipality-5 to the NEA’s Bahrabise substation in the same municipality-3 has been constructed.

The Tamakoshi-Kathmandu transmission line has been constructed to supply electricity to the existing and future hydroelectric projects on the Tamakoshi and Sunkoshi rivers and their tributaries. Out of the 122 towers on the Bahrabise-Lapsiphedi line section, only two are yet to be constructed.

US President Donald Trump says "many elements" of a peace agreement in Ukraine have been agreed with his Russian counterpart, Vladimir Putin, ahead of their much anticipated phone call, BBC reported.

Trump posted on Truth Social that he will speak with Putin on Tuesday morning.

He said that while there have been agreements, "much remains" to be worked upon.

"Each week brings 2,500 soldier deaths, from both sides, and it must end NOW. I look very much forward to the call with President Putin," Trump wrote.

He earlier told reporters that "we're going to see if we can work a peace agreement, a ceasefire and peace, and I think we'll be able to do it".

In his nightly address on Monday, Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky accused Putin of prolonging the war.

"This proposal could have been implemented long ago," he said, adding that "every day in wartime means human lives".

There have been inconsistencies from within the Trump administration over how advanced the ceasefire talks are.

Speaking after his meeting in Jeddah with Ukrainian officials, US Secretary of State Marco Rubio said the "bulk" of the conversation had been "what a negotiation process would look like" and not "the specific conditions".

US envoy Steve Witkoff, who met with Putin on Thursday in Moscow, has also struck a more measured tone, according to BBC.

Meanwhile, the UK and France have urged Putin to prove he wants a peace deal with Ukraine.

French President Emmanuel Macron hailed the "courage" of Zelenksy in agreeing to a ceasefire proposal, and challenged Russia to do the same.

"Enough deaths. Enough lives destroyed. Enough destruction. The guns must fall silent," Macron said in a post on X.

UK Foreign Secretary David Lammy said Putin should agree to a "full and unconditional ceasefire now", telling MPs he had seen "no sign" that Putin was serious about a peace deal.

He warned that the UK and its allies have "more cards that we can play" to help force Russia to negotiate "seriously".

The White House sounded a more upbeat note on the eve of the Trump-Putin talks, which will take place by phone, saying peace in Ukraine has "never been closer".

White House Press Secretary Karoline Leavitt told reporters on Monday that Trump was "determined" to secure the peace deal.

On what the talks might cover, she said: "There's a power plant that is on the border of Russia and Ukraine that was up for discussion with the Ukrainians, and he will address it in his call with Putin tomorrow."

The facility is likely to be the Zaporizhzhia nuclear power plant, the largest in Europe. It has been occupied by Russian forces since March 2022, and fears of a nuclear accident have persisted due to fighting in the area.

Asked on Sunday what concessions were being considered in the ceasefire negotiations, Trump said: "We'll be talking about land. We'll be talking about power plants [...] We're already talking about that, dividing up certain assets."

Kremlin spokesperson Dmitry Peskov declined to comment on what the leaders would discuss, responding, "we never do that".

While Putin has previously said he supports a ceasefire, he also set out a list of conditions for achieving peace, BBC reported.

One of the areas of contention is Russia's Western Kursk region, where Ukraine launched a military incursion last August and captured some territory.

Russia had pushed to recapture it in recent weeks, and Putin now claims it is fully back in control of Kursk.

He has also raised numerous questions about how a ceasefire could be monitored and policed along the frontline in the east, and has said he would not accept Nato troops on the territory.

The peace proposal on the table was discussed by Ukrainian and American delegates in Saudi Arabia last week.

After hours locked away in a room, they announced proposals for a 30-day ceasefire, which Ukraine said it was ready to accept.

France's President Macron and newly elected Canadian Prime Minister Mark Carney, who met on Tuesday, stressed their nations would continue their "unwavering" support of Ukraine and demand "clear commitments" from Russia.

The policy reforms initiated by the government through different ordinances seem to have started delivering results. Nepal received the highest foreign investment commitment so far in the fiscal year 2024-25 in the eighth month i.e., mid-February to mid-March.

According to the Department of Industry, it provided approvals for foreign investment worth Rs 17.79bn for 40 projects during the review month. The monthly report of foreign investment approval shows 19 applications for foreign direct investment came through the automatic route, while 21 came through the traditional route. These projects will create 833 new jobs. With this, the total investment commitments received over the eight months of the current fiscal year have reached Rs 44.66bn for 427 projects.

In the previous month, Nepal received foreign investment commitments worth Rs 1.06bn for 32 projects. The government introduced ordinances in the second week of January to amend several laws to improve the business environment in the country. A study conducted by the department has revealed that policy shortcomings are the main reason for low FDI inflows. The study found that several policy and practical challenges were affecting the implementation of the Foreign Investment and Technology Transfer Act, 2018. The government has tried to address some of them through the ordinances.

Several acts like the Foreign Exchange (Regulation) Act (1962), Company Act (2006), Special Economic Zone Act (2016), Foreign Investment and Technology Transfer Act (2019), Public Private Partnership and Investment Act (2019), Industrial Enterprise Act (2020) and Arbitration Act (1999) have been amended through the ordinances. The ordinances have been approved by both chambers of the Parliament, and replacement bills are being introduced.

Of the total foreign investment commitments received in mid-February to mid-March, 39 are for small industries, and one is for medium-scale industries. The growing increase in FDI toward small industries can be attributed to the government’s decision to lower the minimum foreign investment threshold to Rs 20m.

According to the report, 50 percent of the total committed amount received so far in 2023-24 is in the service sector, followed by tourism (40 percent), manufacturing (six percent), ICT (2 percent), and agriculture (two percent). In terms of the number of industries, 180 are in the tourism sector (42 percent), 154 in the ICT sector (36 percent), 54 in the service sector (13 percent), 50 in manufacturing (seven percent), seven in the agriculture sector (two percent) and one each in the energy and infrastructure sector.

However, there is a significant gap between FDI commitments and actual realization with only a fraction of pledged amount flowing into the country. In 2023-24, only 13.59 percent of the pledged Rs 61.78bn, amounting to Rs 8.4bn, translated into actual FDI inflows whereas in 2022-23, just Rs 6.17bn out of the Rs 38.4bn in approved foreign investments materialized as actual investments. In 2021-22, Rs 18.56bn out of the Rs 54.15bn in commitments flowed into the country as actual investments.

Gold price has set a new record in the domestic market on Tuesday.

According to the Nepal Gold and Silver Dealers’ Association, the price of precious yellow metal has increased by Rs 1, 100 per tola and is being traded at Rs 175, 200 per tola. It was traded at Rs 174, 100 per tola on Monday.

Likewise, the price of silver has increased by Rs 10 and is being traded at Rs 2, 050 per tola.

The election of the free student union (FSU) has kicked off in the Tribhuvan University campuses across the country.

The TU-affiliated and constituent campuses are holding the FSU election to elect new leadership of various student organizations.

Voting began from 8 am in 250 campuses affiliated to TU and 46 constituent ones, according to Pashupati Adhikari, member secretary of FSU central monitoring and coordination committee. The voting began in most of the campuses and will continue till 4 pm.

The election committee formed in the campuses is scheduled to begin the vote count after the completion of the voting.

The FSUs affiliated to various political parties are taking part in the election, fielding their candidacies.

Although the TU holds the FSU election every two years, it has not conducted it regularly since 2065BS.

The FSU election started in 2018 BS. It used to be held annually till 2030 BS.

Home Minister Ramesh Lekhak has said that it should be made clear by a law whether to provide the state facilities to former VIPs.

In his response to the topics raised by lawmakers during a meeting of the House of Representatives (HoR) today, the Home Minister apprised that there is no law granting the facilities to the former VIPs and the government has been proceeding with the formulation of laws towards that end following the advice from the court, Office of the Auditor General and the parliamentary committees.

"It will cause no additional burden on the State coffer to grant such facilities."

He argued that the government is aware of the need to avoid unnecessary economic burden on the State and recognize the citizens' sentiments while proposing the draft bill regarding such facilities. "The government believes that the taxes paid by the citizens should be spent lawfully."

In his replies to queries over the Pathibhara cable car construction project, he said the government has expected the roles with responsibilities from all quarters to resolve the disputes through dialogue peacefully. "The government is ready to address social, religious, and cultural concerns of agitating sides and the locals.  Presently, the area has been guarded by a security force with high patience."

According to the Minister, disaster management, preparedness for potential incidents of fire,

Fair investigation into the cases of crimes reported from various parts of the country, reduction of road accidents, better treatment for the injury cases, and compensation to the affected are the priorities of the Ministry.

The control of cross-border crime between Nepal and India, the safety of Nepali and Indian citizens along the border areas, and smooth and decent movement of the citizens are the agenda of a coordination meeting held frequently among the security forces of the two countries.

 "We have implemented measures accordingly.  The border surveillance by security forces has been intensified. The government is planning to add seven more border outposts this year. Measures against smuggling have been intensified. A zero tolerance has been adopted against smuggling."

The Home Minister further said no inhumane treatment and torture at the Drug Addiction Treatment and Rehabilitation Centre is accepted.

He also pointed out the need to increase the security workforce in Dailekh, adding that the issues of citizens in Siraha, Rautahat, and other districts are under investigation.

"The government has initiated actions to prevent any untoward incidents in the Child Correction Home in a sustainable way."  The government is much committed to ensuring peace and security by the maximum utilization of available resources, according to the Minister.

New York State Senator John C. Liu has honored Annapurna Media Network General Manager Manoj Basnet with a Letter of Appreciation in recognition for his exceptional contributions to the media sector.

This honor was conferred following a recommendation by Triveni Times, a distinguished media house based in New York. Basnet’s exemplary leadership and unwavering dedication to the media industry have garnered him international acclaim.

Furthermore, Basnet was previously honored by New York State Assembly Member David I. Weprin on March 8, 2025, during the observance of International Women's Day. On this occasion, he was presented with a Letter of Appreciation for his outstanding performance management and visionary leadership. This recognition was also made upon the recommendation of Triveni Times.

Basnet was among a select group of seven distinguished community media journalists who were awarded the Community Media Award by Triveni Times, a leading media network on January 18, 2025. The awards ceremony, held on behalf of Assemblywoman Jennifer Rajkumari, was attended by Deputy Chief of Staff Neil Trivedi, who commended the honorees for their steadfast commitment to elevating voices within and beyond their communities.

Further underscoring his contributions, Steven B. Raga, member of the New York State Assembly honored Basnet with a Letter of Appreciation in April 2024. This honor recognized Basnet’s extraordinary leadership and notable achievements in the media sector. In the same month, Basnet was also named a UNESCO Youth Peace Ambassador by the American University of Sovereign Nations and the UNESCO Youths Club, USA. This recognition was bestowed in acknowledgment of his efforts to promote youth empowerment and peace initiatives.

The Nepal Stock Exchange (NEPSE) plunged by 10. 14 points to close at 2, 704. 70 points on Monday.

Similarly, the sensitive index dropped by 0. 95 points to close at 453. 95 points.

A total of 9,935,872-unit shares of 331 companies were traded for Rs 5. 40 billion.

Meanwhile, Rapti Hydro And General Construction Limited (RHGCL)  was the top gainer today with its price surging by 9. 86 percent.

Likewise, Mahalaxmi Bikas Bank Ltd. (MLBL) was the top loser with its price dropped by 5. 63 percent.

At the end of the day, the total market capitalization stood at Rs 4. 49 trillion.