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Christmas and New Year is one of those times when everyone wants to cozy up and spend time with family and friends. A nice little celebration is just what everyone needs for a fresh new start. But does the thought of hosting people leave you feeling overwhelmed? Have you recently found yourself putting off inviting people because you know it involves a lot of cooking, cleaning and everything in between? 

But house parties are so much fun. It also gives you a great chance to bond and foster intimacy, and you’d be missing out if you didn’t have people over whenever you can. But how can you host a party without wrapping your nicest of carpets in bedsheets (which, we at ApEx believe, is the most tacky thing you can do while hosting and otherwise) and using disposables that are hard to hold let alone drink or eat from? Don’t fret. We have some ingenious solutions.

Hire a cook or a food service

The food has to be good. Your reputation as a host depends on the meal spread. But cooking takes time and effort and you might not want to be in the kitchen, reheating and plating food, when your guests arrive. People tend to order from restaurants but that can be impersonal and expensive too. Hiring a cook to come in for a day and prepare food is one of the most cost effective and easy ways to host a party. It ensures a freshly cooked meal that you can tailor according to your needs and preferences. You can easily hire cooks and help from various catering services. There are many freelance cooks who work on a daily or contract basis as well. The other option if you don’t want to have a busy kitchen is to order from the many homemade food services available these days. Kabita’s Kitchen on Facebook is one of the most efficient services. They cater for small parties and prepare whatever you ask them to, however you ask them to. They even ask you which oil you would prefer for your food and whether you would like it to be cooked in ghee. The price is also reasonable and their food is delicious.

Focus on activities and finger foods

Not all parties require a full-fledged meal like lunch or dinner. You can become pretty full on snacks and finger foods if you plan them right. List some easy recipes that you can make in the air-fryer, oven or microwave that don’t need to be reheated. You can also opt for a cheese or cold-cut platter or an elaborate fruit spread. Whip up different kinds of dips and sauces and serve them with chips, nachos, and other dry snacks. Consider having a picnic in the warm winter sun. This way, you can have an outdoor party that entails less cleaning time. A really fun way to do that would be to play card games or board games. If you are feeling up for it, setting up a barbecue grill in a corner will ensure you have hot food flowing throughout it all. And all the preparation you need is marinating some meat and vegetables beforehand. A game night or a movie night could also be a great way to plan something fun without it requiring a lot of preparation.

Ask for help

The thing with help is that if you ask for it, you often get it. So if you are planning a party and feel anxious about how you are going to manage, don’t hesitate to ask a friend or a cousin for help. You can prepare meals and your home for guests over a glass of wine and while catching up. Chances are that the one you ask for help will feel good about it and you can always return the favor. It will make planning and preparing a lot of fun too. You can also do a potluck style hosting, asking each guest to bring a dish to share. You can assign snacks, main course, and desserts accordingly to avoid repetition. It’s a great way to enjoy different kinds of food and cooking styles as well. The same goes for cleaning up after the party. Get a friend to help with putting away the dishes in the kitchen and tidying up the house, with promises to return the favor when s/he needs it.

Conscious cleaning

Most of us try to clean our homes top to bottom while hosting people. We want to make an impression and also ensure that our guests are comfortable. But what we at ApEx have noticed over the years is people don’t usually notice deep cleaning. They will notice if surfaces look shiny and if things smell off. So, dust the tabletop and counters, clean the bathroom putting out fresh towels, and make sure you sanitize your space to make it smell nice. Baby oil can be used to bring instant shine to wooden surfaces. Just don’t use too much, else it can attract dust even more. Put a drop or two on a soft cloth and buff the tables and consoles. The rest you can do once the guests are gone and you feel like your space needs a good after-party cleaning. Sprinkling baking soda on couches and carpets, letting it settle for a while, and then vacuuming them will get rid of pesky food odors and stains. Vinegar, followed by blotting paper, can be used to get rid of stains, including red wine and oil spills.

The Nepal Stock Exchange (NEPSE) gained 14.11 points to close at 2,626.31 points on Tuesday. Similarly, the sensitive index surged by 2.58 points to close at 449. 15 points.

A total of 12,746,410-unit shares of 312 companies were traded for Rs 5. 20 billion.

 Meanwhile, Aatmanirbhar Laghubitta Bittiya Sanstha Limited (ANLB), Gurans Laghubitta Bittiya Sanstha Limited (GLBSL) and Samudayik Laghubitta Bittiya Sanstha Limited (SLBSL) were the top gainers today, with their price surging by 10. 00 percent.

Similarly, Support Microfinance Bittiya Sanstha Ltd. (SMB) 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. 35 trillion.

Ambassador of Pakistan to Nepal Abrar H Hashmi paid a courtesy call on Prime Minister KP Sharma Oli on Tuesday.

During the meeting held at the official residence of the Prime Minister at Baluwatar, they discussed various issues of bilateral relations and interest as well as increasing cooperation in trade, tourism, agriculture, renewable energy, disaster management, education and culture, the Prime Minister's Private Secretariat stated. 

On the occasion, PM Oli stressed that Nepal, from the position of SAARC Chair, has been making efforts to activate the South Asian Association for Regional Cooperation (SAARC) and SAARC-member countries should play a constructive role in it. 

Stating that there should be no adverse impact on regional organizations like SAARC even if there is any problem between any two countries, Prime Minister Oli said Nepal has been expanding its relation and collaborating with other nations keeping the justified national interests in mind from the position of expanding and collaborating for the position of sovereign and independent country.

Similarly, the Pakistani Ambassador said they were ready to host the SAARC Summit in Pakistan. He shared that Pakistan was willing to expand further cooperation with Nepal on various issues in the days ahead.

With the growing size of public debt each year, the expenditure for servicing its interest has also increased, now surpassing the development budget.

According to a report issued by the Public Debt Management Office, covering data up to mid-December, Nepal's total public debt stands at approximately Rs 2,500 billion. At the beginning of the current fiscal year, which commenced on July 16, the public debt amounted to Rs 2,434 billion. Over the following five months, an additional Rs 58.31 billion was added, bringing the total debt to Rs 2,492.91 billion. This latest figure constitutes 43.69 per cent of the country's Gross Domestic Product (GDP).

In the month of Mangsir (November-December), the government made a payment of Rs 58.24 billion toward debt obligations, while loans worth Rs 21.23 billion were received. Additionally, due to fluctuations in the exchange rate, debt obligations decreased by Rs 25.64 billion as of December 15, compared to the end of the previous month, according to the report.

The report also highlighted that the country's international debt obligations amounted to Rs 1,217.66 billion, or 21.34 per cent of the total public debt. Meanwhile, external debt obligations stood at Rs 1,274.75 billion, accounting for 22.35 percent of the total public debt.

The government had the target of mobilizing Rs 547 billion for the current fiscal year and it has mobilized loans of Rs 192 billion 290 million as of December 15. The total public loan received in the five months period is equivalent to 35.15 percent compared to the annual target.

The government has mobilized internal loans equivalent to Rs 164 billion or 49.70 per cent of the annual target of Rs 330 billion for the current fiscal year. Similarly, the government has so far raised external loans equivalent to Rs 28 billion 291 million and 800 thousand or 13.04 per cent of the annual target of Rs 217 billion.

The government has allocated Rs 402 billion for the current fiscal year to pay the principal and the interest of public debt. The Office stated that Rs 170 billion 490 million in principal and interest have been paid as of December 15. The total debt service expenditure until December 15 is 2.99 percent based on the GDP.

The budget allocated for public debt servicing exceeds the budget earmarked under the capital heading or the annual budget that the government allocates for development construction. The government had set aside Rs 352 billion 350 million under the capital expenditure for the current fiscal year whereas it had allocated Rs 402 billion to pay the principal and interest of the public loans this fiscal year.

Observing the status of expenditure under these two headings until December 15, the expenditure for paying the principal and interest of public debt is approximately 4.5 times more than the capital expenditure. The Comptroller General's Office stated that the government's capital expenditure is only Rs 40 billion 800 million as of December 15.

For the first time, an electric DC charging station has been installed in the Himalayan district of Mustang, targeting electric vehicles (EVs) entering the region. VG Motors Company has introduced various electric vehicles under the SRM and Jolong brands to the Nepali market. In Mustang’s Gharpajhong Rural Municipality, two SRM electric vehicles purchased from Vishal Group have been equipped with high-voltage fast-charging equipment for the buyers.

Two locals from Jomsom, Ganesh Sherchan and Bikal Sherchan, who purchased SRM brand EVs, have set up a high-speed fast charging station to provide battery charging services. The company gifted them a 32 kW fast DC charger as part of the purchase. Situated at an altitude of 3,000 meters above sea level, the charging station was inaugurated by Mohan Singh Lalchan, Chairperson of Gharpajhong Rural Municipality, during a ceremony.

According to a Vishal Group representative, the station supports two types of chargers—20 kW and 40 kW—as well as a 7 kW solar charger. Once fully charged, the SRM electric vehicles can travel up to 300 kilometers, powered by a 50 kW dynamo and a 42 kW battery.

Nepal generates approximately 2,800 megawatts of electricity daily, while consumption stands at only 1,800 megawatts. The company claims that introducing such EVs will help manage the surplus electricity, which currently amounts to 1,000 MW per day.

The Khampa Camp in Bidur Municipality, Nuwakot, home to Nepal’s largest-capacity central jail, has initiated a project to generate biogas from sewage sludge. This decision follows an on-site inspection by Federal Water Supply Minister Pradeep Yadav and his team at two sewage construction sites and a waste processing facility in Bidur and Trishuli.

The Central Prison will process sewage collected from various wards of the municipality to promote a clean environment and produce biogas. Minister Yadav expressed his satisfaction with the municipality’s coordination and facilitation of the project and reaffirmed the Ministry of Water Supply’s commitment to its success.

Minister Yadav also monitored the sewage management and biogas production projects in the municipality. He pledged to ensure additional resources and budget for completing the ongoing ‘Bidur Sewerage Construction Project’ and ‘Trishuli Sewerage Construction Project.’

During the inspection, Minister Yadav announced an agreement to manage sewage from Bidur Municipality’s wards and utilize the generated biogas within the central prison. Bidur Municipality will oversee the operation of the sewage treatment and biogas production facilities.

The initiative aims to provide a cleaner environment for Bidur residents through efficient sewage management. A total of 30 ropanis of land, registered under the Prison Office, Nuwakot, will be allocated for constructing the sewage treatment system with biogas capabilities.

According to the decision, parts of plots no 377, 378, 379, and 668—out of a total 645 ropanis registered under the Prison Office—will be utilized for building the sewage treatment plant and associated infrastructure. Approximately 30 ropanis of land located south of plots 378 and 668 will be used for this purpose.

The central prison, located in Bidur Municipality-6, is being developed to accommodate over 7,000 prisoners. The facility will also include a playground, health center, visitor building, security agency building, and other necessary structures. Since its inauguration on 31 Aug 2024, 700 prisoners have been transferred to the Nuwakot central prison from various locations.

The gold is being traded at Rs 149, 800 per tola in the domestic market on Tuesday.

The Federation of Nepal Gold and Silver Dealers’ Association said that the price of silver, however, has increased by Rs 10 and is being traded at Rs 1, 805 per tola today.

In fiscal year 2021/22, the government mobilized Rs 58.34bn in revenue from real estate transactions. However, the impacts of the second wave of Covid-19 brought the economy to a virtual standstill, hitting real estate transactions hard.

Although most of the sectors of the economy have recovered since then, the struggling real estate sector has yet to regain momentum. The government lifted a ban on land plotting to boost real estate transactions. However, it failed to make much impact as revenue from real estate transactions stood at Rs 46.54bn in 2022/23.

Real estate entrepreneurs say although there have been some improvements in the current fiscal year which began in mid-July, the sector has been unable to gain momentum due to various policy and practical difficulties. A recent study report submitted to the government has also suggested policy reforms to boost real estate transactions. The report has pointed out several factors impeding the real estate sector like lack of clear legal provisions for building integration, an overly complicated planning approval process, dominance of middlemen, unnaturally high prices, ineffective regulation, and difficulties due to land ownership limits.

Slow recovery

The real estate sector has been unable to recover since Covid-19. Annual revenue collection from this sector, which used to reach around Rs 70bn, has now fallen to Rs 46bn. While real estate transactions are increasing, they have not returned to pre-covid levels, according to Bed Prasad Aryal, the spokesperson for the Department of Land Management and Archive.

According to department statistics, the government raised Rs 46.54bn from real estate transactions in 2023/24. During Covid-19, annual revenue from real estate transactions had dropped to as low as Rs 25bn. Aryal said the sector is now gradually recovering from its vulnerable state. He added that land and housing transactions have increased more in the eastern Terai region compared to the Kathmandu Valley.

Low transaction value to avoid taxes

The actual annual real estate transactions amount to approximately Rs 2trn. However, government statistics only show transactions worth Rs 1trn. Bhesh Raj Lohani, chairperson of the Nepal Land and Housing Development Federation, said the sector has been deteriorating due to a lack of transparency in buying and selling. He explained that the difference between market value and government valuation creates this discrepancy.

“Purchases and sales happen at one price, while government valuations are much lower. If the state made the system transparent, the value would be at least Rs 2trn annually. Due to non-transparent transactions, the government is losing revenue from different headings like registration fees, capital gains tax and income tax,” said Lohani.

To support real estate transactions, both the government and Nepal Rastra Bank (NRB) have relaxed various policies. According to the central bank statistics, approximately Rs 224bn has been invested in real estate loans by the end of mid-November of the current fiscal year, up from Rs 211bn in the same period of the previous fiscal year. Despite a 6.65 percent increase in loan investment, real estate transactions have not grown as expected.

Meanwhile, a task force formed by the government to study the problems and challenges of the real estate sector has submitted its report to the government. The committee submitted its report to Deputy Prime Minister and Minister for Urban Development Minister Prakash Man Singh on Friday.

The committee has highlighted the need to revise most laws, procedures, and standards, as well as create new laws to address problems and challenges in real estate transactions.

Similarly, it has recommended issuing the 2007 Construction Standards for municipalities and urbanizing VDCs within Kathmandu Valley and the 2015 Basic Standards for Settlement Development, Urban Planning, and Building Construction as umbrella standards, and revising and implementing the 2005 Standards for Joint, Collective and Planned Housing.

Likewise, the task force has suggested that the government implement the 2020 Environmental Protection Regulations as per federal principles, and facilitate finance and tax-related matters.