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Effective enforcement of existing law and policy has been underlined for ending child marriage in Nepal.

During a discussion organized by the National Human Rights Commission (NHRC) on 'Marriage age: Legal provision and implementation status' in the federal capital on Monday, the speakers said in addition to strict implementation of laws and policies, public awareness campaigns should be continued.

Rather than revising laws to lower the marriage age from the current 20 years to 18 years, it needs to be continued as it is. Programs on physical and mental health of adolescent girls and quality enhancement of their education are equally important to ensure their decision making capacity, and self-dependency in future. Present legal provision of at least 20 years for marriage helps reduce child and maternal mortality rate, the speakers argued.

Speaker Indira Rana Magar said the children need to be catered to education on social aspects to reduce child marriages. Gender inequality is one of the reasons behind early child marriage, she said, adding that collective efforts from all sides is required to work for ending this social ill.

NHRC secretary Murari Kharel presented a working paper on present status of child marriage and measures to reduce this social ill.

He informed that the highest number of child marriages were reported in Dhanusha district while the least in Manang district.

During the group discussion organized as part of the program, lawmaker Ranju Jha, however, reminded that the interaction the lawmakers' team including experts held witnessed the demand that current minimum age for marriage, 20, needs to be lowered to 18 years in Sudurpaschim, Madhes and Lumbini provinces.

The parliamentary committee on justice and human rights had held discussions with civil society, people's representatives and legal experts, according to her.

It was shared in the program that the factors behind child marriage were least awareness on punitive measures, weak enforcement of existing law, poverty, low social awareness, prevailing traditional thoughts and customs, gender inequality, etc.

The speakers suggested mobilization of traditional healers and priests against early marriage which have taken a toll, especially on girls. It is also a social blight.

A right advocate, Mina Sharma, informed that 36 percent of Nepali women in the age group of 20 to 24 years are married before 18 years, while it is 11 percent in case of male for the same category.

The program chaired by NHRC Member Lily Thapa was attended by Speaker Rana, chiefs of constitutional commissions, members of the parliament committees, political representatives, legal practitioners, right defenders, social activists and media persons.

​Milan Bhattarai, the winner of Mister Tourism Nepal 2024, has traveled to Vietnam to represent Nepal at the Mister Tourism World 2025 competition. He will compete in the event for 10 days, culminating in the grand finale on Feb 18 in Ho Chi Minh City.

Mister Tourism Nepal is a category under the Mister and Miss National competition, in which Bhattarai secured victory earlier this year. According to Dr Santosh Upadhyaya, director of Sunurbi International and the national organizer of Mister and Miss National, Bhattarai will be the first Nepali contestant to participate in Mister Tourism World.

During his time in Vietnam, Bhattarai will visit various locations while showcasing Nepal’s language, culture, and traditional attire. In the National Costume Round, he will wear an outfit representing Nepal’s unification leader, Prithvi Narayan Shah, and the historical attire of that era.

Dr Upadhyaya expressed confidence that Nepal could secure an international title in its debut participation.

Prime Minister KP Sharma Oli has said that federalism has opened the gate for development. He also stressed on collaboration among the three tiers of the government for development and prosperity.

The Prime Minister said so in his special address to the Lumbini Province Assembly today. He also expressed his immense pleasure to come to the holy land of Lumbini.

He said the birth place of Lord Gautam Buddha and other historical and religious places here have made the province special.

PM Oli said Lumbini Province was becoming rich in natural, cultural and economic terms and its capital had been chosen and been implemented successfully.

According to him, Lumbini Province has presented an example that development is possible through federalism.

The Prime Minister stressed that the recently completed international airport, wide roads and infrastructure development could be described as indicators of the Lumbini province's progress.

He also said that the projects including Siddhababa tunnel way would facilitate transportation and attention has also been paid to the construction of Rampur-Kapurkot Road.

Talking about the plan to develop Lumbini Province as an agriculture, tourism and industrial hub, PM Oli said priority should be given to human-centric development. "Development has no meaning if there is no human life," he said.

He stressed the need to promote the agriculture sector by making irrigation projects successful and to carry out development works along with environmental protection.

Prime Minister Oli made it clear that the central government was committed to the overall development of the province.

In his address, PM Oli expressed appreciation for the province government for starting the construction of the 1,200-bed Lumbini Provincial Hospital building.

"This hospital building is the first major infrastructure to be constructed by the province government at a cost of Rs 6.18 billion. But the central government has not been able to fully operate the 1,000-bed hospital and the collaboration among the federal, provincial and local governments is necessary for this," he added.

The Prime Minister believed that quality health services can be provided to the citizens only by operating the health institutions effectively.

Stressing on the right use of technology, PM Oli said: "Things you do on mobile phones are not confidential. The mobile is something made by others. The date might be leaked. Technology has evolved a lot. You should be able to use it properly.”

He stressed the need for coordination and cooperation among the three levels of government to overcome the challenges seen during the implementation of federalism.

"Only by working together can we realise the dream of prosperous Nepal, happy Nepali," he said and suggested that the provinces, while formulating the legal framework, moved ahead on the basis of existing laws established by the federal government.

"The provinces should develop the provincial laws based on the existing laws made by the federal government. Provinces may have to amend many laws when they make their own laws. Therefore, I urge you to move forward on the basis of existing laws,” the PM said in his special address.

Project Resilient Minds conducted two workshops in Kavre, focusing on the intersection of climate change and mental health. The initiative, organized under the British Council’s Youth for Climate & Social Action program in collaboration with Association of Youth Organizations Nepal (AYON), aimed to equip health professionals and students with knowledge and coping strategies, says project co-lead Susan Sapkota.

The first session, held in Bethanchowk Rural Municipality, was led by Dr Shreeya Shrestha and attended by 16 health professionals. The discussion focused on the psychological impacts of climate change, highlighting how environmental shifts contribute to anxiety and mental distress. 

A full-day workshop was also conducted for secondary school students, with the local mayor and school principal in attendance. Facilitated by Susan Sapkota and Sagar, the session emphasized the urgent need for climate action. The mental well-being segment, led by Chhaya Sanjya (MBBS 3rd year) and co-facilitated by Ashutosh (MBBS 2nd year), focused on the psychological effects of climate stressors and resilience-building strategies for young minds.

Both sessions underscored the importance of integrating mental health into climate action initiatives. “Through Resilient Minds, we aim to highlight the deep connection between a healthy mind and a sustainable environment, fostering a future where both thrive together,” said project co-lead Sapkota.

Japan's Minister of State for Foreign Affairs, Miyaji Takuma, on Monday paid a courtesy call on Minister for Foreign Affairs Arzu Rana Deuba.

The Foreign Minister and Japan's Minister of State who are presently in Muscat, the capital of Oman, to attend the '8th Indian Ocean Conference' held the bilateral meeting today.

 During the meeting, the two exchanged views on various dimensions of Nepal-Japan relations and mutual interests. On the occasion, the Minister recognized Japan as one of the major development partners, contributing to Nepal's development in the socio-economic sectors.

The two also discussed the upcoming celebrations of the 70th anniversary of the Nepal-Japan diplomatic ties in 2026. Matters relating to the likely exchange of high-level visits between the two countries were discussed during the meeting.

On the occasion, the Minister expected the necessary support from the Government of Japan in the aftermath of the endorsement of working procedure regarding Nepal-Japan last year's agreement to hire skilled workforce from Nepal for the upcoming five years.

The Minister also utilized the opportunity to call on the Government of Japan to assist Nepal in the reconstruction of the BP Highway that was significantly damaged by the September (2023) rains.

Foreign Minister Rana urged Japan for its cooperation to connect Japan with the Bhairahawa-based Gautam Buddha International Airport and Pokhara Airport with direct flights.

The extension of the direct flight between Nepal and Japan (Narita-Kathmandu) to Lumbini will be beneficial for Japanese citizens aspiring to visit Lumbini, enhancing cultural ties between Nepal and Japan. In response, the Japanese Minister said he would respond to the call after a feasibility evaluation.

Three persons died and four others were injured when a car they were travelling in met with an accident on Monday. They were returning home after attending the Kumbh Mela in India.

The deceased have been identified as Ganga Sharma, Ganesh Khanal and Deepa Khanal of Devdaha Municipality-9, Rupandehi, SP Ranjit Singh Rathore informed.

According to him, Ganesh and Geepa are husband and wife.

The injured have been taken to the Maharajgunj District Hospital after receiving primary treatment at the Ajmagadh-based local hospital.

There were eight persons including the driver in the vehicle.

The administration of Kalinga Institute of Industrial Technology (KIIT) in India has allegedly suppressed protests demanding justice for Nepali student Prakriti Lamsal, who was found dead in her hostel room. Nepali students protesting for a thorough investigation were reportedly expelled from the college. A student sharing photos and videos from the college, told ApEx, “We were demanding an investigation, but instead, the administration expelled us.” KIIT has around 1,500 Nepali students.

Lamsal had previously filed a complaint with the International Relations Officer (IRO) against a fellow student for prolonged harassment, but no serious action was taken. Following her death, the college issued a statement claiming it was a suicide, though the exact cause will be confirmed after a post-mortem examination at Capital Hospital.

Regular import of petroleum products via pipelines from India's Motihari to Amlekhgunj in Bara has started.

Nepal Oil Corporation's Madhes Regional Office Amlekhgunj has said that the import of petroleum products, including petrol and kerosene, has started from the pipelines after the completion of the work of the Intra-national Petroleum Pipeline Expansion.

Pralayankar Acharya, Chief of Nepal Oil Corporation Madhes Province Office, Amlekhgunj, informed that the entire work of petroleum pipeline expansion has been completed and the regular import of petroleum products from the pipelines has been started for a few days.

"However, petrol and kerosene have already been imported from the pipelines," Chief Acharya said, "Now, we have started formally distributing the imported petrol from the pipelines to the depots in major cities in the country."

Under the pipeline expansion project, two petrol tanks with a capacity of 4,100 kiloliters, two transmix tanks with a capacity of 250 kiloliters, 24 fully automatic loading way-refillers for transporting petrol, pump house and laboratory have been constructed at the Indian Oil Corporation's depot in Amlekhgunj.

Under the same project, the upgrade of the 'Fire Fighting System', the 'OWS System' for water and oil separation and the PMCC Cell have also been constructed.

Likhita Infrastructure was contracted to complete the construction of the entire infrastructure by 2023. Chief Acharya said that the work of expanding the pipelines was completed only a few days ago for various reasons.

Similarly, Indian Oil Corporation has constructed two transmix tanks to store mixed fuel which can be both petrol and diesel and a firewater tank with a capacity of 3000 kilolitres for protection inside the depot.

With the completion of this project, the storage capacity of diesel at Amlekhgunj depot will be 24,840 kiloliters and the storage capacity of petrol will be 16,630 kiloliters.