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The Nepal Stock Exchange (NEPSE) gained 4.19 points to close at 2,630.71 points on Thursday.

Similarly, the sensitive index surged by 2.30 points to close at 451. 45 points.

A total of 20,978,979-unit shares of 310 companies were traded for Rs 5. 32 billion.

Meanwhile, Aatmanirbhar Laghubitta Bittiya Sanstha Limited (ANLB) and Support Microfinance Bittiya Sanstha Ltd. (SMB) were the top gainers today, with their price surging by 10. 00 percent. Likewise, Corporate Development Bank Limited (CORBL), Narayani Development Bank Limited (NABBC) and Sindhu Bikash Bank Ltd (SINDU) were the top losers as their price fell by 10.00 percent.

At the end of the day, total market capitalization stood at Rs 4. 36 trillion.

The 456 MW Upper Tamakoshi Hydropower Station, Nepal’s largest hydropower facility, partially resumed power generation after 88 days on Tuesday at 7:40 pm following repairs to damage caused by landslides on Sept 27 and 28. 

Currently, the station generates 120 MW of electricity, fully utilizing the available water flow in the Tamakoshi River. Operations had been suspended since 7 PM on Sept 27 due to heavy rainfall that significantly increased the river's flow. The subsequent landslides on Sept 28 caused extensive damage to the control room building, the sand-sluice pond (desander), and the underground canal (culvert) that channels water from the dam to the desander. Additionally, large rocks blocked the approximately 300-meter access road between the Gongar power plant and the Lamabagar dam site, requiring explosives for clearance. Rainfall also damaged Tower 46 of the Gongar-Khimti 220 kV transmission line, which transmits electricity from the station.

The damaged desander has been partially repaired, enabling the hydropower station to operate using river flow for the time being. Full capacity generation, allowing four hours of operation during peak demand periods (morning and evening), will be possible once ongoing desander repairs are completed. The maintenance is scheduled to be finalized by December, ensuring peak-hour operations.

On Dec 3, Kulman Ghising, Executive Director of the Nepal Electricity Authority (NEA) and Chairman of Upper Tamakoshi Hydropower, visited the site alongside the company’s board of directors and CEO to oversee the progress. The team set Dec 25 as the deadline to complete repairs and fully restart electricity production. Ghising later announced that repairs had been completed ahead of schedule, enabling electricity generation to resume partially. 

“The descender was filled with rocks and debris. Additionally, two company employees and two soldiers lost their lives in a landslide, creating fear among the remaining workforce. With no access road, no power supply, and challenging circumstances, our team worked tirelessly to restore operations. Through collective efforts, we managed to resume partial electricity generation,” said Ghising.

Ghising also noted that restarting the country’s largest power plant eases electricity supply challenges and reduces dependence on imports from India during peak hours. 

Mohan Prasad Gautam, CEO of Upper Tamakoshi Hydropower, highlighted that the repair efforts followed a detailed action plan informed by expert recommendations and regular monitoring. This collaborative approach allowed electricity generation to resume earlier than expected.

The repair costs will be covered by the company’s insurance. An initial claim of Rs 1.78bn has been filed with National Insurance Company, which is jointly assessing the damage with the hydropower company. The insurance will also compensate for two months of lost revenue from electricity sales, as outlined in the agreement.

The price of gold has increased by Rs 600 per tola in the domestic market on Thursday.

According to the Federation of Nepal Gold and Silver Dealers’ Association, the precious yellow metal is being traded at Rs 150, 300 per tola today. It was traded at Rs 149, 700 per tola on Wednesday.

Similarly, the gold is being traded at Rs 1,800 per tola today.

The exploration of petroleum products underway here has come to a final stage.

As of Wednesday, 3,930 meters of drilling work has been completed, with merely 70 meters left, the Department of Mines and Geology informed.

Drilling for petroleum products and natural gas exploration had begun in the Jaljale area of Bhairabi Rural Municipality-1 in Dailekh district on May 10.

Chief of the Department's petroleum project, Ganesh Nath Tripathi shared that the drilling was underway with the target of completing the work this month.

In the first phase, the Chinese technical team had completed seismic survey, geological survey, magneto telluric survey and geochemical sampling survey on time, while the drilling work would also be completed before the stipulated time.

The project is being implemented with grant assistance amounting to Rs 2.5 billion from the Chinese government.

Under the project, 45 ropanis of land was acquired at Jaljale for drilling. A group of 80 people, including Chinese and Nepali, is carrying out excavation.

The Department, China Geological Survey and Cibu Drilling Engineering Company are implementing the project.

For the first time in its seven-decade history, the Federation of Nepali Journalists (FNJ) has seen representation from Mahottari in its central committee. Rajkaran Mahato, the former secretary of FNJ Mahottari, was elected as a central committee member in the elections held on Dec 12.

Mahato, who contested for the position of Central Member (Open Madheshi category), defeated his opponent, Chandradev Kamati, by a margin of 1,328 votes. Mahato secured a total of 3,893 votes from across the country.  

On Tuesday, Speaker of the House of Representatives, Devraj Ghimire, handed over the election certificate to Mahato during a formal ceremony.  

Hari Prasad Mandal, former chairperson of FNJ Mahottari, remarked that Mahato’s election marks the first time in Mahottari’s 72-year journalism history that a journalist from the region has reached the central committee. 

Currently serving as a senior correspondent for Annapurna Post, Mahato has been actively reporting on grassroots issues for the past 15 years.

The price of gold has dropped by Rs 100 per tola in the domestic market on Wednesday.

According to the Federation of Nepal Gold and Silver Dealers’ Association, the yellow metal is being traded at Rs 149, 700 per tola today. It was traded at Rs 149, 800 per tola on Tuesday.

Similarly, the price of silver has dropped by Rs 5 and is being traded at Rs 1, 800 per tola today.

As the cold weather sets in, goat farms in the high hill areas of Bhojpur, including Maiyung, Sawne, Kimalung, Khartamchha, and Nagikharka, have been relocated to the valleys.

Farmers raising goats commercially in the hilly areas of Tyamkemaiyum Rural Municipality and Salpasilicho Rural Municipality have begun shifting their farms to lower altitudes, including locations such as Surke, Tarulbari, Koshedhunga, and Chilimdhap.

Every year, farmers move their goat herds to the valleys during winter and return to the mountains in the rainy season to escape extreme temperatures. “With the change in weather, the herds move down the valley to avoid the cold and up the mountains to escape the heat,” said Namsong Rai, a cattle farmer. “It has become colder now, so we also relocated the cattle sheds along with the herds.”

The cattle herds in this region follow a natural migratory cycle, descending to the valleys in November and returning to the mountains in February. At an average altitude of 3,300 meters above sea level, dozens of herds have been commercialized. According to 2080 data, 476 herds of cattle are maintained in 19 groups in the Maiyung area of Bhojpur alone. Tourists visiting the region often come to witness the scenic beauty of herds grazing in the pastures.

However, during winter, the Chauri valleys become inaccessible due to flooding, and most tourists prefer to use the Mundum trekking route in April, September, and October, said Pavihang Rai, the central president of the Yak Chauri Farmers Federation. “Tourists are attracted to this area because the grazing Chauri adds to the natural beauty of the landscape. They often stay in cowsheds and take home chhurpi (hardened cheese made from yak milk) as souvenirs,” he added.

Despite this, yak farming faces challenges as some local herds are migrating due to a lack of grazing land. Dendi Sherpa, a cattle breeder from Helaunchha, Bhojpur Municipality-1, explained that the formation of community forest groups has led to restrictions on grazing areas. “The forests now impose a grazing tax of Rs 11,500 per year, making it difficult to sustain yak farming,” Sherpa said. “We can no longer graze yaks freely, and this limited access is forcing some farmers out of the business.”

In the high-altitude regions, including Maiyung, which have significant potential for yak farming, farmers must pay annual grazing taxes to community forest groups. Local farmer Durgadhan Rai pointed out that taxing natural grazing areas limits livestock keepers to specific zones, increasing the challenges of raising yaks. Adding to the difficulties, the tail of the yak—highly valued for religious purposes—is becoming increasingly rare and commands a steep price in the market.

Presently there is a chance of light snowfall in some places with partial changes in weather in the mountainous region.

It is due to the influence of the westerly low-pressure system and the westerly wind in the country.

According to the Department of Hydrology and Meteorology, the weather will be partly cloudy in the hilly regions of the country in the next 24 hours.

The Kathmandu Valley has seen cloudy weather due to the western low-pressure system. It will be gone by this afternoon.

The weather will be clear today as compared to Tuesday. The current temperature is recorded at 7.5 degrees Celsius while the maximum temperature will remain in-between 16 and 18 degrees Celsius.

The Department has urged all concerned to adopt safety measures in view of foggy weather in some places of Terai and Valley on Thursday morning.