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Opposition parties have urged the government to call the winter session of the Parliament.

During a press conference organized in the Capital on Friday, CPN (Maoist Center) Chairman Pushpa Kamal Dahal warned that they would be compelled to start the process to call a special session if Parliament session is not convened immediately.

Objecting to the ordinances that recently got the presidential stamp of approval, the former Prime Minister said that they would come up with stern protests if such activities are not corrected.

“The majority should respect the minority in the parliamentary system. We are of the opinion that the trend of abusing the state agencies to fulfill their vested interests, tendency of avoiding the Parliament, making political decisions in a biased manner will put the democracy at stake,” leader Dahal said, adding, “That is why, we opposition parties, respecting the dignity of the Parliament, urged the government to call the winter session of the Parliament at the earliest.”

The number of people driving electric vehicles (EVs) has significantly increased over the last three years. These vehicles are now reaching hilly villages from the Tarai, offering smooth and comfortable transportation. Previously, EVs were primarily used by government employees or wealthy individuals, while common people had to rely on old, shabby vehicles in the Tarai. However, with the blacktopping of major roads, lifestyles have transformed.

Bhim Rai, a resident of Bhojpur Municipality-5, regularly travels to Tarai in an EV. He shares that the introduction of these vehicles has improved the lifestyle of ordinary people by providing comfortable, fast, and affordable travel options. “In the past, we endured cramped seats and unpleasant journeys, but EVs have eliminated that hassle,” he said. “Riding in a smooth EV used to feel like a dream, but now it’s a reality. We can travel as comfortably as we wish.”

A decade ago, the roads in the district were in terrible condition, making travel arduous and time-consuming. It would take an entire day to journey from the hills to Tarai. With improved infrastructure, EVs can now reach rural areas quickly and comfortably.

Passengers can now complete round trips within a day. Narayan Bhandari, a local resident, shared, “We used to travel for 9–10 hours in dusty, uncomfortable coaches for official work. It was exhausting, expensive, and inconvenient. Now, EVs have eliminated these difficulties. I can leave home in the morning and return by evening.” According to locals, EVs are also being used to deliver goods directly to households in villages.

Currently, 12 EVs operate within the district, with an additional 22 serving routes outside it. Businessman Dilihang Rai noted that EVs have made travel satisfying and comfortable for passengers. “I operate EVs to provide fast and convenient services for the general public,” he said. “Passenger feedback has been positive, and the earnings are good.” He added that EV operators also generate additional income during downtime, thanks to the vehicles’ efficiency and speed.

The operation of EVs from Bhojpur is well-organized. Gyanu Rai, Chairperson of Temkemaiyung Yatayat Pvt Ltd, highlighted the growing popularity of EVs. “The number of EVs is increasing day by day as more passengers and businesses see their value,” he said. Rai emphasized that upgrading and blacktopping unpaved rural roads would further enhance accessibility and provide more facilities to the public.

The price of gold has increased by Rs 1, 300 per tola in the domestic market on Friday.

According to the Federation of Gold and Silver Dealers' Association, the gold is being traded at Rs 157,900 per tola. It was traded at Rs 156,600 on Thursday.

Similarly, the price of silver has increased by Rs 50 and is being traded at Rs 1, 880 per tola.

On 28 June 2022, the contract for the construction of Baddichaur-Bimreni-Babiyachaur-Bidyapur road in Surkhet was awarded to Anak/Jayadevi JV construction company. It has been two years, and not even 20 percent of the road work has been completed. 

The construction work of the Ranighat-Telpani-Bhurigaun road in Surkhet, which was taken over by Thodung/Jagruti JV on 30 June 2022, is limited to 10 percent. The construction work of the road has been stalled by the construction entrepreneur citing the problem of cutting trees inside the wildlife reserve. According to Senior Divisional Engineer Ramesh Subedi, spokesperson for the Ministry of Physical Infrastructure and Urban Development of the provincial government, the construction of the Mangalgadhi-Kankrebihar road in the provincial capital Birendranagar was entrusted to Amar/Sisneng Nepal Mega JV in 10 Dec 2021. The deadline for the construction of the road was 15 June 2024. However, only 75 percent of the work has been completed. 

The construction of the road from the district headquarters of Dailekh to Ward 1-4 of Naumule Rural Municipality, the road connecting Juni Jajarkot via Upper Dugeshwor Dullu Beuli to Kalikot, the construction of the Sangetada Bindrashaini Chamunda road, and the construction of the Rabat Chamaghat Khola concrete bridge also started in 2021. These projects should be completed by 2025. However, the work of any project has not progressed beyond 60 percent. 

Similarly, the Sheri Pantadhi Padamghat Jumla road in Kalikot, the Sannighat to Sipkhana road project, the construction of Damrigad concrete bridge, and the construction of Jarkot concrete bridge were started in 2020/21. The construction work of all these projects was taken up by construction entrepreneur Tara Shah. However, the work of these projects has not exceeded 40 percent. 

The construction work of Jajarkot Chheda Thalah Sanakhola Chande Jumla road, Salma Khola bridge, Barekot Sagutara and Nalgad Sirke connecting road bridge, Kalimati Khalchaur Netilekh road section, Sakla Khari Bayale Limsa road section began in 2021. So far, the work of Chheda Thalah Sanakhola Chande Jumla road is 10 percent.

The construction work of Salma Khola bridge is 30 percent. The work of Barekot Sagutara and Nalgad Sirke connecting the road bridge is zero percent. The construction work of Sakla Khari Bayale Limsa road section of Kalimati Khalchaur Netilekh road section is 85 percent completed. There is still a delay in the work of all these projects.

The Provincial government’s Secretary at the Ministry of Physical Infrastructure and Urban Development, Ishwor Chandra Marhatta, says that construction entrepreneurs who have stalled the project have been asked to complete it as soon as possible. “We have repeatedly called the construction entrepreneurs who are taking responsibility for the construction of Karnali projects and are delaying it to the ministry for discussion,” says Marhatta, “We have put pressure on them to complete the construction as soon as possible. Some construction entrepreneurs have even started the construction work. Even now, if the construction entrepreneurs do not show their commitment to complete the work they have taken on as soon as possible, we will be forced to take legal action.”

He said that the government’s achievements in Karnali have also been low due to the delay of construction entrepreneurs. The development projects taken forward by the government for the convenience of the citizens are in a state of disarray. Citizens are questioning whether the government has not worked. Karnali Province Government’s Minister for Physical Infrastructure and Urban Development Sher Bahadur Budha says, “The ministry has already prepared a list of construction entrepreneurs who are causing the development projects of Karnali to be in a state of disarray. Even now, if the project is delayed, we will be forced to take legal action.” 

Even after half a year, the government has struggled to accelerate development expenditure, with only 16.16 percent of the total allocated budget spent so far. This mirrors the performance from the same period last year, where approximately 16 percent of the budget was utilized. The sluggish pace has disrupted the entire economic chain of the nation.

In the first six months of the current fiscal year, the government spent Rs 56.93bn against a target of Rs 352.35bn for development projects. Historically, the government has consistently fallen short of its targets, attributing the slowdown to underperformance in capital expenditure.

Economist Chandramani Adhikari emphasized the need to address the root causes of delays in priority projects to improve development expenditure. He highlighted the importance of identifying issues such as managerial inefficiencies, legal constraints, or shortcomings among construction contractors. “It’s essential to pinpoint the bottlenecks, whether it’s funding issues, legal hurdles, lack of coordination at multiple levels, or contractor inefficiencies. Solutions must be implemented accordingly, and budgets should be reallocated to projects with better management capacity,” he suggested.

Mahesh Bhattarai, spokesperson for the Ministry of Finance, acknowledged that inadequate project preparation is a major challenge. “We should allocate budgets only for projects that are fully prepared. However, resources have been scattered due to poor prioritization,” he explained. Bhattarai also noted that the lack of commercialization in the construction sector, which largely involves private actors, further hampers progress. “Many projects are delayed because contractors fail to meet deadlines. Additionally, societal attitudes towards the benefits of development projects need to evolve to foster a proactive approach,” he added.

According to Bhattarai, the government has disbursed Rs 22bn out of Rs 29bn based on certified documents, while dismissing complaints from contractors seeking to extend deadlines without sufficient justification.

By the month of December, the government had spent Rs 667.60bn from a total budget allocation of Rs 1.86trn. Out of the Rs 1.14trn targeted for development, only Rs 4.52bn has been spent so far—representing 39.63 percent of the total target. Concurrently, the government faces increasing obligations to repay principal and interest on both domestic and foreign loans. This has resulted in the allocation of 43.2 percent of financial management expenditure to cover previous fiscal year liabilities. The government has earmarked Rs 367bn for public debt repayments and has already paid Rs 158bn.

While the country’s external sector shows signs of improvement, the internal economy continues to struggle. Despite these challenges, the government has managed to collect 39.43 percent of its total revenue target, raising Rs 559bn in the first six months. This includes Rs 489bn from tax revenue (38.09 percent of the Rs 1.284trn target) and Rs 70bn from non-tax revenue (51.97 percent of the Rs 135bn target). However, foreign aid and grants have fallen short, with only Rs 7bn (14.09 percent of the Rs 52bn target) collected so far.

The Ministry of Foreign Affairs has intensified diplomatic efforts to secure the release of Bipin Joshi, a young Nepali held captive by Hamas. Following reports that some hostages under Hamas control are being freed, Foreign Minister Arzu Rana has urged countries mediating with Hamas for a ceasefire to prioritize efforts for Joshi’s release.

As part of these efforts, Minister Rana held a telephone conversation this morning with Qatar’s Minister of State at the Ministry of Foreign Affairs, Mohammed bin Abdulaziz bin Saleh al-Khulaifi, who serves as Qatar’s chief negotiator and mediator in peace talks with Hamas.

During the call, Minister Rana emphasized Qatar’s pivotal role in facilitating ceasefire negotiations and appealed for special intervention to secure Joshi’s release. She highlighted Qatar’s long-standing friendship with Nepal and expressed hope that Qatar’s ongoing diplomatic engagement with Hamas would include efforts for Joshi’s safe return.

Minister al-Khulaifi informed Minister Rana that progress is being made in bringing Hamas and Israel to a ceasefire. He assured that Qatar is actively working to facilitate the release of hostages held by Hamas. Regarding Joshi, al-Khulaifi stated that Qatar would prioritize his case and expressed confidence that he would be freed, either in the initial phase of hostage releases or subsequent rounds.

Earlier, Minister Rana also sought assistance from the Egyptian government, which is similarly engaged in ceasefire negotiations with Hamas. Last week, she conveyed Nepal’s appeal through the ambassadors of Egypt and Qatar, urging both nations to intervene for Joshi’s release.

Additionally, Minister Rana had approached the Israeli government via Israeli Ambassador to Nepal,  Shmulik Arie Bass. The ambassador informed her that Israel had received reports of Hamas planning to release 34 hostages, including the elderly, women, children and those with critical health conditions.

The crisis traces back to Oct 2023, when Hamas launched a surprise attack on Israeli soil, killing over 1,000 people, including 10 Nepalis, and taking hostages, including Joshi. Since then, the Nepal government has been pressing for his release through diplomatic channels. Minister Rana has raised the issue at various bilateral and multilateral forums, including the United Nations, urging the international community to assist in securing Joshi’s freedom.

Nepal Rastra Bank (NRB) has proposed stringent standards and guidelines to tighten savings and credit cooperatives. The proposed standards aim to enforce stricter rules on savings, loans, board formation, and institutional governance of cooperative institutions. The central bank prepared the guidelines after recent amendments to the NRB Act, Cooperative Act and related laws granted it the authority to oversee the financial activities of savings and credit cooperatives.

As per the draft standards and guidelines, which have been made public to collect feedback of stakeholders, cooperatives will be permitted to collect savings up to 15 times their primary capital sourced from members. Likewise, loans that cooperatives can avail from banks and financial institutions have been capped at five percent of total assets or 100 percent of primary capital, whichever is lower.

The savings limits prescribed in the Cooperative Act have been incorporated in the guidelines and standards prepared by the NRB. Cooperatives operating within a single district can accept individual savings of up to Rs 1m, while those operating across multiple districts in a province are limited to Rs 2.5m. For cooperatives with working areas in more than two provinces, the maximum savings per individual has been proposed at Rs 5m. Likewise, cooperative institutions will not be allowed to collect fixed deposits.

Board members in cooperatives will be prohibited from taking loans other than those secured by their personal savings. The draft also caps the size of cooperative boards at seven members, with a provision requiring 33 percent female representation wherever possible. Cooperatives must also maintain a capital fund of a minimum of four percent.

Likewise, the guidelines require cooperatives to classify their loans into four categories—good, substandard, doubtful and bad. Loss provisioning for loans has been set at one percent for good loans, 25 percent for substandard loans, 50 percent for doubtful loans and 100 percent for bad loans.

The draft standards and guidelines bar members of a same family from holding positions on a cooperative’s board or supervisory committee at the same time. Likewise, one cannot serve in multiple cooperatives at the same time. Unsecured loans have been capped at Rs 300,000 or five times the savings maintained by the member, whichever is lower.

The NRB has also proposed stricter rules on procurement of fixed assets by cooperatives. Only the cooperatives profitable for three consecutive years, free of accumulated losses and compliant with capital fund requirements will be allowed to purchase land or buildings for office purposes. Such purchases must be made transparently through a competitive process. Cooperatives can spend 25 percent of their primary capital or 50 percent of their reserve fund for such procurements. Such procurement decisions must be approved by at least 51 percent of the general assembly, and the decision must be reported to the regulatory body within 30 days.

The opposition parties have decided to take an initiative to call for a special session if the government delays summoning the winter session of the Parliament.

A meeting of the opposition parties called by CPN (Maoist Center) Chairman Pushpa Kamal Dahal on Wednesday decided to make an effort to call a special session.

Speaking to journalists after the meeting, CPN (Maoist Center) Deputy General Secretary Barshaman Pun said that the opposition parties have urged the government to call the winter session of the Parliament.

“The opposition parties have demanded that the regular winter session should be called. We will take an initiative to call for a special session if the regular session is not summoned,” he said.