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The Nepal Stock Exchange (NEPSE) gained 28.91 points to close at 2,612.20 points on Monday.

Similarly, the sensitive index surged by 3.48 points to close at 446. 56 points.

A total of 8,908,851-unit shares of 328 companies were traded for Rs 4. 43 billion.

Meanwhile, Support Microfinance Bittiya Sanstha Ltd. (SMB) and Super Madi Hydropower Limited (SMHL) were the top gainers today, with their price surging by 10. 00 percent. Likewise, Manushi Laghubitta Bittiya Sanstha Limited (MLBS) was the top loser as its price fell by 10.00 percent.

At the end of the day, total market capitalization stood at Rs 4. 33 trillion.

Shilshila Acharya, who has been recognized as one of the BBC’s 100 influential women for 2024, has joined the 'Unity for Sustainability' campaign conducted by Annapurna Media Network to raise awareness about climate change.

A cooperation agreement was signed amidst a function held at the AMN’s headquarters in Tinkune on Monday.

General Manager of Annapurna Media Network Manoj Basnet and Shilshila Acharya, founder of Avni Ventures signed the agreement.

Avni Ventures is a non-profit organization.  The organization has been conducting a campaign to prepare 100, 000 climate leaders from every region of Nepal within five years.

“It is really a moment of happiness to got an opportunity to collaborate with Nepal’s leading media house to raise the issue of climate change, which has been raising by our generation for a long time,” Acharya said, adding, “Now, this cooperation will play an important role in establishing the issue of climate at the national and international level.”

“It is also an opportunity for us that Shilshila Acharya who has been named among BBC’s 100 influential women from around the globe for 2024 has joined the Unity for Sustainability campaign,” AMN General Manager Basnet said.

The price of gold has increased by Rs 200 per tola in the domestic market on Monday.

According to the Federation of Nepal Gold and Silver Dealers’ Association, the precious yellow metal is being traded at Rs 149, 800 per tola today. The gold was traded at Rs 149, 600 per tola on Sunday.

Similarly, the price of silver has increased by Rs 5 and is being traded at Rs 1,795 per tola today.

As the winter season begins, the cold is gradually increasing across the country, especially in Himalayan districts like Manang. The rivers, streams, and springs in the region have started freezing, but there has been no snowfall this time. Local residents are surprised, as snowfall has failed to arrive during the expected time.

Farmers and locals are worried about the disruption of the regular weather cycle and the potential decrease in agricultural production. Yangdung Gurung, from Pisang in Manang’s Ngisyang Rural Municipality-1, said, “We rely on farming and animal husbandry for our livelihood. Without snow, there’s no water, and without water, there’s no farming. Lately, snowfall has stopped coming on time.”

According to Gurung, the lack of snow is causing an irrigation shortage, which is significantly impacting farming. A few years ago, snow would blanket the mountains, providing ample water, and farmers would be busy with rice and maize crops. Now, not only is the snow absent, but farmers are struggling to carry out their agricultural work as usual.

District Officer Matrika Acharya has expressed concern as well, noting that even though it is already mid-winter, there has been no snowfall. “In most areas of the district, water for drinking has even frozen due to the extreme cold, but there has been no snow. Farmers, who depend on nature for their crops, are disheartened,” Acharya said.

Vinod Gurung, president of the Manang Tourism Entrepreneurs’ Committee, has also noticed a change in the timing of snowfall in recent years. This shift has led to reduced production and a need for changes in farming practices. He remarked, “We used to rely on snowmelt for irrigation, but now, with no snow, we are facing a water shortage. Nature’s behavior has changed, and now we have to figure out how to adapt.”

Local resident Furva Chiring Lama also observed changes in the weather. “In the past, the snow would cover everything, making it hard to even step outside for work. Now, there is no snow, and the cold is just increasing. This is really strange,” he said.

The Madhesi Commission has issued a strong statement condemning the racist, communal and discriminatory behavior displayed by a disruptive group during the Nepal Premier League (NPL) matches featuring Janakpur Bolts. The Commission expressed that such actions are unacceptable.

It criticized security authorities for failing to take action against the guilty party, though clear evidence of misconduct was shared through various media platforms, pointing that this reflects a lack of responsibility and decorum within the security agencies.

In its statement, the Commission underscored that the Constitution, laws and regulations of any country reflect its civilizations, cultures and social norms, and must be upheld. It also pointed out that despite legal provisions against discrimination, untolerable behaviors rooted in racial and social bias persist. The Commission warned that such discriminatory attitudes, particularly against the Madhesi community, will pose challenges to national unity and progress.

The Commission specifically condemned the derogatory slogans and protests targeting Janakpur players and supporters during the match, calling them a serious violation of the law and an act of deep disrespect. It urged the government to take immediate legal action against the perpetrators and address the situation with sensitivity.

Furthermore, the Commission has formally drawn the attention of the Ministry of Home Affairs toward the matter and called all parties involved to exercise restraint and civility.

Politicians including CK Raut and Gagan Thapa have condemned the misconduct against the Madhesi community.

A chargesheet has been filed at the Kaski District Court against Rastriya Swatantra Party Chairperson and former Home Minister Rabi Lamichhane, along with five others, accusing them of cooperative fraud, organized crimes and money laundering. The case centers on the alleged embezzlement of funds from the Surya Darshan Cooperative in Pokhara, with claims that a portion of the funds was diverted to Gorkha Media Pvt Ltd.

Chief District Attorney Kamala Kafle stated that the case implicates 44 individuals and organizations. This follows an earlier charge against GB Rai, chairperson of Gorkha Media, and 18 others, bringing the total number of defendants to 63. The damages sought from Lamichhane and his co-defendants amount to approximately Rs 1.51bn.

The government attorney’s office alleges that Lamichhane and his associates operated as an organized group to defraud the cooperative and launder the misappropriated funds. Evidence includes checks issued under the cooperative’s name, linking the funds to Gorkha Media. Lamichhane has denied involvement, claiming that the checks were misused without his consent during his tenure as the managing director of Gorkha Media Network (GMN). However, police investigations revealed loans, including Rs 4.6m each from Swarnalakshmi Cooperative, used to purchase vehicles in the names of Lamichhane and Rai.

A parliamentary panel formed under CPN-UML MP Surya Thapa found funneling of Rs 224.6m from six cooperatives, including Surya Darshan, into GMN. The panel recommended legal action against Lamichhane and others, leading to arrests and ongoing legal proceedings. Lamichhane’s wife, Nikita Poudel, has also been implicated, with allegations of illegally amassing Rs 280m. Four others—Padma Banjade, Rojak Joshi, Radha Pachhai, and Geeta Pachhai—have been named for property confiscation.

Assistant District Attorney Shantidevi Sharma clarified that if their assets are proven to be linked to criminal activities, only the claimed amounts will be seized without additional penalties.

The investigation, based on reports from Pokhara Metropolitan City and a parliamentary committee, exposed widespread misuse of cooperative funds. The panel’s report was submitted to the government, which directed agencies to expedite action.

Lamichhane was arrested on Oct 19 after the Kaski District Court issued an arrest warrant against him. The opposition Nepali Congress had made cooperative fraud a key issue in parliament, making way for the formation of a special probe committee under Thapa. Nepal Police, following directives from Home Affairs Minister Ramesh Lekhak, has sought international assistance, after which INTERPOL issued a diffusion notice for Rai, who remains at large.

Nepal’s mental health crisis is a ticking time bomb, and the government is doing nothing to defuse it. While politicians line their pockets, thousands of Nepalis are dying from preventable suffering. This is not just gross negligence—it’s a national disgrace.

A reality check

The severity of Nepal’s mental health crisis is heavily undermined. The statistics alone should spark an outrage: nearly 10 percent of Nepalis are living with mental health disorders, ranging from depression and anxiety to bipolar disorder and schizophrenia (Nepal Health Council in 2021).

The tragic reflection of our society is mirrored by adolescents, a demographic with the highest vulnerability to death by suicide. From 2022 to 2023, on average, 19 people died from suicide every day in our country, and countless others have continued to silently endure debilitating mental health challenges without access to care or support. 

According to reports by the World Health Organization (WHO), Nepal has one of the highest rates of psychological distress and disorder in the demographic of South Asia.

Adding insult to injury, the government allocates less than one percent of its health budget to mental health services. This abysmally low investment paints a clear picture of where mental health ranks in the country’s list of priorities: at the bottom.

The compounding factor lies in the country's education system and healthcare system, where there is no awareness regarding mental health crises and the country lacks the infrastructure and human resources to deal with these psychological disorders.

Systemic failure

Nepal’s healthcare system is laughable to be brutally honest. Mental health services remain concentrated in a handful of urban centers, leaving rural populations entirely neglected. For many Nepalis, accessing care is not just difficult—it’s impossible.

The situation is further worsened by a lack of professionals in the given area. As per reports by WHO (2021), for every 100,000 Nepalis, there were only 0.17 psychiatrists, 0.03 psychologists and 0.21 mental health nurses. Moreover, a concerning number of the available professionals that we do have are arguably not qualified to diagnose or treat patients. There is a glaring lack of a formal licensing board that standardizes counseling and therapy practice and regulates practitioner behavior. This absence of professionals and professionalism leaves individuals to struggle in silence until it is often too late.

Even in urban areas, the services available are prohibitively expensive for most Nepalis. Mental healthcare is treated as a luxury reserved for the wealthy, rather than a fundamental right for all citizens. The government’s promise to integrate mental health into primary healthcare remains nothing more than hollow words. Most primary healthcare centers don’t even have the resources or training to handle basic mental health cases.

Physiological and psychological health are treated with different intensities and attitudes in Nepal. While it is easy to almost unconditionally nurture and care for someone with a broken arm, it’s often much harder to even acknowledge when someone is struggling on the inside.

Societal stigma

Societal stigma plays a vital role in the current situation of Nepal’s mental health crisis. Mental illness is often perceived as a personal failure or a fatal flaw in character, a punishment for bad karma, possession by spirits, or even bluffing to dodge responsibilities. Such regressive beliefs isolate those who are already vulnerable, forcing them to suffer in silence.

Families hide mental health issues out of fear of ostracization. Communities badmouth “crazy” individuals, dismissing their struggles and calling them names instead of being empathetic, let alone offering help. This stigma creates a suffocating environment where people would rather endure silently than seek support, fearing that a diagnosis will label them as a “psycho”  for life.  The wider society has already consolidated the complex and diverse spectrum of psychological disorders into psychosis—most representations of mental illnesses in media are often portrayed through debilitating conditions such as schizophrenia and other delusional disorders, where affected people are always hallucinating, acting aggressively, catatonic, harming themselves or others or not maintaining personal hygiene. However, books like the DSM-5 and ICD-11, which have been continually revised by leading experts, suggest that there are multiple mental health disorders that each have their own onset, severity, prevalence, and prognosis which can greatly vary according to the set categories.

The lack of open conversation about mental health perpetuates this toxic culture. Schools avoid teaching students about emotional well-being, and the media rarely portrays these issues with the sensitivity they deserve. Instead of being a society that supports and uplifts, Nepal has become one that shames and silences its own people.

Governmental apathy

The government’s efforts toward the mental health crisis are outright shameful and borders on recklessness. The National Mental Health Policy, created in 1996, is tragically outdated and barely implemented. It exists more as a formality than as a functional framework to address the crisis.

The promises to integrate mental health into primary healthcare by politicians remain unfulfilled. Hospitals and clinics lack the resources, trained staff, and infrastructure needed to support even the most basic mental health services. 

This apathy directly costs lives. Suicide rates are climbing, untreated mental illnesses are becoming more severe, and the stigma around mental health continues to grow unchecked. Yet policy makers remain silent, hiding behind empty rhetoric while their citizens suffer.

The message is clear: the government has chosen to abandon its people in their time of greatest need. This neglect is not just a policy failure—it is a betrayal of the fundamental duty to protect and care for the nation’s citizens.

What shall we do?

Boost the budget’s allocation

It is impossible to address mental health without a substantial financial commitment. Mental health services must get a significant amount of the government's health budget. Building infrastructure, employing experts, and providing treatment subsidies to those who cannot afford them.

Increase the infrastructure for mental health

To guarantee accessibility across the country, all district hospitals should have mental health units. They should educate primary care providers on how to identify and handle common mental health conditions. There must be a provision of at least mobile mental health clinics for isolated and rural locations.

Start campaigns for public awareness

There must be bureaucratic and civil interest in running and participating in national campaigns to raise awareness about mental health issues via social media, television, and radio. We should make an effort to de-stigmatize mental illness, promote candid discussions, and spread the word that getting assistance is both necessary and normal.

As much as we would like to point fingers and shift the blame onto a particular body or individual, it is obvious that we are just as much at fault when it comes to society’s unwillingness to change. Our compliance and comfort in the fact that the system continues to alienate and vilify people who clearly need support has led to a divide that threatens to unravel our moral fabric. Unless we persistently challenge our crude ideologies and those in power who seek to reinforce them, we will never truly be able to progress as a collective or achieve equity.

Ujain Shrestha

A-levels 

Islington College, Kathmandu

The Nepal Stock Exchange (NEPSE) plunged by 13. 53 points to close at 2,583.29 points on Sunday.

Similarly, the sensitive index dropped by 2. 69 points to close at 443. 08 points.

 A total of 9,180,718-unit shares of 319 companies were traded for Rs 4. 51 billion.

Meanwhile, Support Microfinance Bittiya Sanstha Ltd. (SMB), Barahi Hydropower Public Limited (BHPL) and Nyadi Hydropower Limited (NYADI) were the top gainers today with their price surging by 10. 00 percent. Likewise, Saptakoshi Development Bank Ltd (SAPDBL) was the top loser as its price fell by 6. 40 percent.

At the end of the day, the total market capitalization stood at Rs 4. 28 trillion.