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The price of gold has increased by Rs 2, 000 per tola in the domestic market on Friday.

According to the Federation of Nepal Gold and Silver Dealers’ Association, the precious yellow metal is being traded at Rs 153, 500 per tola today. It was traded at Rs 151, 500 per tola on Thursday.

Similarly, the price of silver has increased by Rs 20 and is being traded at Rs 1, 810 per tola today.

An earthquake measuring 4.4 on the Richter scale struck Mugu on Friday.

According to the National Earthquake Monitoring and Research Center, the quake was recorded at 8: 03 am.

Tremors were also felt in neighbouring districts, as well as the Kathmandu Valley. There are no reports of damage or casualties so far.

Earlier on Thursday, an earthquake measuring 4.8 on the Richter scale was recorded in Sindhupalchowk district.

The Millennium Challenge Corporation (MCC) Board of Directors has approved $50 million of additional funding for the Nepal Compact. This Board action underscores the shared commitment between MCC and the Government of Nepal to advancing Nepal’s development priorities through transformative, high-quality infrastructure projects.

“The additional funding reaffirms our mutual dedication to ensuring the compact’s success in strengthening Nepal’s electricity grid and supporting long-term economic growth,” said MCC Vice President of Compact Operations Cameron Alford.

The Millennium Challenge Corporation is an independent U.S. government development agency working to reduce global poverty through economic growth. Created in 2004, MCC provides time-limited grants that pair investments in infrastructure with policy and institutional reforms to countries that meet rigorous standards for good governance, fighting corruption and respecting democratic rights.

The new urban policy has assigned responsibilities for urban development to the federal, provincial and local governments under the federal system. 

The government introduced National Urban Policy, 2024, last week, realizing that the 17-year-old policy would be inadequate to address recent social, political and economic developments in the country. 

While the policy is not a law, it serves as a guiding framework for drafting legislation, with a focus on expanding access to resilient urban infrastructure. The new policy reflects Nepal’s commitment to achieving sustainable urban development in line with global frameworks such as the SDGs, the Paris Agreement, and the Sendai Framework for Disaster Risk Reduction.

The previous policy of 2007 defined a city based on a minimum population of 5,000, a population density of 10 persons per hectare and at least 50 percent of the population engaged in non-agricultural activities. This contrasted with the standards of the United Nations Economic and Social Council (ECOSOC) which says urban centers should have at least 50,000 residents and a density of 1,500 people per square kilometer. Likewise, semi-urban centers require at least 3,000 residents and densities between 300–1,500 people per square kilometer.

The new policy aims to coordinate with stakeholders for planning, regulation and management of urban areas through appropriate measures to expand access to resilient urban infrastructure. It targets improving urban infrastructure indicators in urban centers by at least 15 percent on average by 2036. The policy envisages developing an advanced national urban system, expanding access to resilient urban infrastructure, maximum utilization of resources for systematic urban development, and enhancing inter-sectoral coordination and urban governance to meet its objectives.

Likewise, prioritized resource mobilization across all government tiers, leveraging alternative financial tools, promoting partnerships with private and cooperative sectors, and integrating informal economic activities into urban development are the major strategies that the policy has outlined to meet its objectives.

As per the new policy, urban development comes under the federal framework, with responsibilities divided among the federal, provincial, and local governments. The federal government is tasked with formulating national policies, laws and standards to ensure consistency and uniformity in urban growth across the country. This includes the scientific classification of cities and the establishment of minimum service benchmarks, which serve as a foundation for equitable and sustainable urbanisation.  Development of strategic urban infrastructure and the promotion of green and climate-resilient technologies to mitigate the impacts of climate change is also the responsibility of the federal government.

Likewise, provincial and local governments must implement federal policies within their jurisdictions. Ensuring equitable access to infrastructure and services across urban centers and addressing urban challenges through sustainable planning and resource mobilisation are the key responsibilities of the provincial and local governments.

Urbanization challenges

Nepal has witnessed rapid urbanization driven by migration from rural areas. While there were only 58 municipalities in 2011, the number has surged to 293 following state restructuring. As per the 2021 census, 66.01 percent of the population resides in municipalities, with urban population density at 27.07 percent and peri-urban population at 39.75 percent. 

However, there are significant inequalities in infrastructure and services among municipalities, with urban infrastructure indices varying significantly. Kathmandu Metropolitan City, for example, scores 0.91 in Urban Infrastructure Condition index, while Gulariya Municipality of Bardiya scores only 0.16. The scarcity of open spaces in urban areas—only 0.48 percent in Kathmandu and 0.06 percent in Lalitpur—further highlights the lack of essential social infrastructure in Nepal’s urban centers. Likewise, planned land development contributes just six percent of the total residential plots supplied. These disparities have spurred the need for a comprehensive urban system that includes market centers, small and medium cities, and larger urban economic hubs.

Migration has been identified as a major driver of urbanization. The 2021 census shows negative population growth in 34 hill districts, while 54 percent of the population resides in Tara region which has 17 percent of the country’s land area. This has created challenges like inadequate services, urban poverty, unemployment, and unplanned settlements, with limited accessibility for children, elderly and persons with disabilities.

Since the National Urban Policy of 2007 was brought before the country adopted the federal setup, it lacked a comprehensive framework for urban development across three tiers of government. Since challenges such as unmanaged urbanization, environmental degradation, insufficient services, and the destruction of heritage and green spaces hindered Nepal from fully benefiting from urbanization, the government realized the need to bring a new policy.

The new policy seeks to address these gaps by balancing urban structure, enhancing governance, and fostering partnerships among federal, provincial and local governments. It also emphasizes strategic investments in urban infrastructure to make cities more attractive and interconnected.

The ‘Bandipur Visit Year, 2025’ is being organized to promote tourism, identify new tourist destinations, create employment opportunities, and stimulate economic activities in Bandipur through tourism promotion.

At an event held in Kathmandu, Bandipur Rural Municipality Chairperson Surendra Bahadur Thapa announced that the Rural Municipality has formed a 21-member Visit Year Secretariat, coordinated by tourism entrepreneur Baish Gurung, to ensure the Visit Year’s success.

Thapa shared that the Secretariat includes representatives from the Hotel Association, Restaurant and Bar Association (REBAN), Tourism Development Committee, Chamber of Commerce and Industry, Homestay Federation, among others.

“The Bandipur Visit Year has been organized with the vision of creating a prosperous and culturally vibrant Bandipur through responsible tourism, while conserving and developing its natural and cultural heritage. Our goal is to increase tourist arrivals to 200,000 annually,” he said.

Secretariat Coordinator Baish Gurung explained that the initiative aims to double the number of tourists by promoting Bandipur both domestically and internationally during the Visit Year. “We plan to attract 100,000 domestic and 100,000 international tourists in the Visit Year,” he said. “Our target is to reach 800,000 tourists annually within the next three years, using the Visit Year as a foundation.”

According to Gurung, tourists will typically stay for an average of three days. Foreign tourists are expected to spend an average of $75 daily, while Nepali tourists are expected to spend Rs 3,000 daily. Currently, Bandipur has 75 hotels and four homestays, with the entire rural municipality offering 120 hotels and 12 homestays, which can accommodate 1,700 people daily.

To achieve this, necessary infrastructure will be developed, and new destinations will be identified, developed, and promoted. Gurung emphasized that the Visit Year will create additional employment and self-employment opportunities in the tourism sector, increase investment in hotels and restaurants, and position Bandipur as a major tourist destination in Nepal.

Tourism expert and President of Heritage Nepal, Harish Gurung, noted that they expect to promote cultural, religious, and rural tourism circuits while preserving the area’s cultural heritage.

To attract tourists during the Visit Year, the rural municipality plans to create tailored packages based on tourists’ age and interests, along with promoting the slogan “Let’s earn in the village, enjoy in the village,” to encourage public participation in environmental protection.

The rural municipality estimates that a total of Rs 44.35m will be needed to make the Visit Year successful. The estimated expenditure includes commitments expected from the federal, provincial, and local governments, as well as various national and international government and non-governmental organizations.

Tourist arrivals to Nepal via air surpassed the one-million mark for the second consecutive year in 2024 but remained below pre-covid levels.

According to the Nepal Tourism Board (NTB), 1,055,533 tourists visited Nepal in the first 11 months of 2024, compared to 1,014,882 in 2023. Since Nepal welcomed 91,491 foreign tourists till Dec 30, arrivals in the last month of 2024 are estimated to reach around 95,000, marking a year-on-year growth of over 13 percent.

Nepal first recorded over 1m foreign air arrivals in 2018, with 1,173,072 visitors, and the number rose slightly to 1,197,191 in 2019—the highest ever. However, the Covid-19 pandemic caused a drastic decline, with arrivals plummeting to 230,085 in 2020 and further to 150,962 in 2021, the lowest since 1977 when 129,329 tourists visited the country.

Tourism began to recover as the effects of the pandemic waned, with arrivals rebounding to 614,869 in 2022 and crossing the 1m mark again in 2023.

In 2024, Nepal received the highest number of tourists in March with 128,167 arrivals. October came second with 124,393 foreign tourists, followed by November (114,501) and April (111,376).

Government officials and tourism stakeholders were expecting foreign tourist numbers to return to pre-covid figures in 2024. However, tourist footfalls fell short of the target yet again. Officials of the Nepal Tourism Board and private sector entrepreneurs say one factor that affected tourist numbers over the last two months of 2024 was the closure of Tribhuvan International Airport (TIA) during nighttime hours. The closure of the airport in the peak tourist season disrupted international flights and impacted tourist arrivals, they added.

A closer look at arrival figures of 2024 reveals the impact of the airport closure. Between January and October, tourist arrivals increased 16 percent compared to the same period in 2023. However, growth slowed to just two percent in November and December compared to the same months of 2023.

The Civil Aviation Authority of Nepal implemented nighttime closures of TIA starting
Nov 7. 

Meanwhile, international tourism is on track for full recovery by the end of the year with spending growing faster than arrivals. According to the UN World Tourism Organization (UNWTO), international arrivals reached 98 percent of 2019 levels in January-September 2024. An estimated 1.1bn international tourist arrivals (overnight visitors) were recorded in the January-September period of 2024, about 11 percent more than in the same period of 2023.

Arrivals in the Middle East and Europe have exceeded pre-pandemic levels by 19 percent and one percent, respectively, while Africa has reached the pre-covid levels. According to the UNWTO, the Americas recorded 97 percent of 2019 levels and Asia and the Pacific 85 percent in the January-September period.

Armed Police Force Inspector Bijaya Kumar Tuladhar died after being hit by a passenger bus in Sarlahi on Tuesday.

The deceased has been identified as Bijaya Kumar Tuladhar.

He was on duty at Border Out Post in Balara Municipality-9, Chhautauna when the bus (Bagmati Province 01-006 Kha 2004) hit him last night.

APF SP Binod Raj Khanal informed that he died on the way to the Provincial Hospital in Malangawa for treatment.

Police have arrested three persons, including the bus driver, from the spot.

Tenzing Gurung was born in 1945 in Ngawal, Manang. A few months after his birth, his mother took him to Shillong, India, where his dark, sunburned complexion earned him the affectionate nickname “Kalu” among the Nepali diaspora—a name that stayed with him throughout his life.

At the age of 11, in 1956, Tenzing lost his father, who passed away in Brunei. This marked the beginning of his journey into the business world. From Manang, he traded herbs, Tibetan Mastiffs, and yak tails in Kathmandu. The proceeds were used to purchase Nepalese handicrafts, which he sold in Calcutta at a handsome profit. With these earnings, he bought Burmese precious stones, which he sold in markets across Asia, including Singapore and Hong Kong. By the late 1960s, Gurung and his friends from Manang even ventured to Vietnam, selling goods to American GIs during the Vietnam War.

In 1965, King Mahendra’s decree allowed Nepali citizens to obtain passports, with the people of Manang being among the first to receive them. Along with the passports came trading privileges, including tax benefits. By the late 1970s, many popular products in today’s Nepali market—such as jeans, Wai Wai, chocolates, and pharmaceuticals—were initially introduced by the enterprising Manange traders. Their knack for identifying arbitrage opportunities set them apart from other businessmen in Nepal. However, due to their limited education and understanding of global business operations, larger, more educated business houses took over the agencies for these products, turning them into major revenue-generating ventures.

Recognizing education as a key to remaining competitive, Gurung founded Kathmandu Valley School in Maharajgunj in 1986. It was the first private school in Kathmandu owned by a member of the Himalayan Buddhist community and among the first to recruit teachers from Darjeeling. The school continues to award scholarships to around 300 students annually, primarily from Manang and the upper Himalayan regions. To date, the school has provided over 10,000 scholarships to deserving students, many of whom would not have been able to afford an education without Tenzing’s support.

Gurung’s contributions extended beyond education. He funded the construction of numerous monasteries across Nepal, which currently house thousands of monks. In 1978, he built his first home in Thamel, which was later converted into Ngawal View Guest House in 1984, one of the oldest hotels in the area. He also co-founded ventures like Nepal Colour Lab in Thamel, the Janakpur and Lalitpur Brick Factories, and Experience Travel and Tours, which was one of Kathmandu’s largest travel companies until the early 2000s.

Gurung was also among the pioneers of today’s land development and plotting industry where he developed and sold hundreds of ropanis of land in Kathmandu since the 1980s.

His philanthropic efforts were vast and impactful. He helped hundreds of prisoners by posting bail for those unable to afford it, allowing them to regain their freedom. He also provided financial assistance to economically disadvantaged individuals from Manang and Mustang, covering their visa and travel expenses and securing employment opportunities abroad. Many who benefited from his generosity are now well-settled in foreign countries.

By 2005, Tenzing had retired from business and dedicated his time to his family and the Manang community in Kathmandu. His health began to decline in 2015, requiring frequent medical trips to hospitals in Kathmandu and Delhi. Gurung, 80, passed away at 5 am on Saturday, Dec 28, at HAMS Hospital.

He is survived by his wife, Yanki Dolma (Sunar), his children; Tashi, Sonam Wangma, Karma Tenzing and Mukhiya; and his grandchildren; Samdup, Sangay, Tenzing Dolma, Rewa Tsomo, Jordan, Nurpa, Yonten and Kunsang.

Tenzing Gurung

Birth: 1945, Manang

Death: 28 Dec 2024, Kathmandu