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The government has planned to call for the letters of intent for 20 projects- mostly the hydropower projects- in the Third Investment Summit.

The two-day summit is commencing in the federal capital today.

The letters of intent are being sought from both national and foreign investors for the projects identified and feasibility studies completed.

Dhulikhel Medicity Project is one for which the letter of intent is sought. The proposal for the project is prepared- with the location of a super special hospital at Dhulikhel, Kavrepalanchowk at the cost of Rs 11 billion. Government has planned to construct the super special hospital in a bid to develop a medical tourism hub.

Similarly, Sudurpaschim Public Transport Project is another for which the letter of intent is called for. It aims at improving public transportation in Kailali, Kanchanpur and Doti districts of Sudurpaschim Province. For the project, 173 buses including 104 electric vehicles are proposed under it, with the estimated cost of Rs 31.13 billion, and the term is three years.

Naumure Multi-Purpose Project with estimated cost of Rs 92 billion is also in the list. As per the proposal, total 281.04 MW electricity would be generated from the project.

The Shivalaya Reservoir-based Hydropower is proposed at the border of Dolakha and Ramechhap districts. It is the largest hydropower project with an estimated cost of Rs 289 billion. 

Humla Karnali Hydropower Project of 61.2 MW project will be located at Namkha Rural Municipality of Humla district. The project cost is around Rs 14.70 billion.

The Upper Chameliya Hydropower Project with the capacity of 53.85 MW is estimated to require investment of Rs 11.90 billion.

Panchkhal Special Economic Zone in Panchkhal Municipality has aimed at creating jobs by promoting economic activities. Rs 1.57 is the estimated cost of the undertaking.

Kabadikhola Hydropower Project to be located at mountainous place in the border of Bajura and Humla districts is proposed to be operated in a BOOT model. It requires Rs 6.41 billion investment. The feasibility study for the project was done in 2020. 

Another hydropower to be located in Tanahun, Palpa, Nawalpur and Syangja districts is Kaligandaki-II is the reservoir-based hydropower. Total Rs 174 billion is the estimated investment for the project.

A 377MW hydropower project named Bharbung Reservoir-based Hydropower Project is listed for the undertaking the government is showcasing for letter of intent in the two-day event.

There are other hydropower projects like Tom Dogar Budhugandaki Hydropower Project with location at Chumnubri of Gorkha, and Super Budhigandaki Hydropower Project with location in Gorkha.

In addition to the hydropower projects, other projects the government is showcasing to elicit concept paper are- Pokhara International Convention Centre and Exhibition Centre, Daiji Industrial Zone, Babarmahal Administrative Plaza, Mahadev Stream Reservoir focused on climate actions, Karnali-Chisapani Wind Energy Project, Chandragiri-Chitwan Expressway, Janaki Heritage Hotel and Cultural Village, Dhaubadi Iron Mine and Excavation Project.

The Third Investment Summit is beginning today. It is being organized to bring in foreign direct investment and launch development projects for the country's economic progress.

The government is dangling 151 projects. The event to be inaugurated by Prime Minister Pushpa Kamal Dahal will be attended by over 1600 investors from 55 plus countries.

Nepal Investment Board has informed that there will be 23 exhibition stalls along with detailed information on the projects in the conference. Similarly, concept notes would be called for 19 projects.

The two-day international event features 11 parallel sessions on Monday. The first day witness’s inauguration session and two major sessions.

The investors will be provided opportunities to interact with PM Dahal and Finance Minister Barsha Man Pun in course of the summit.

Private sector, a partner of economic development, is the co-organizer of the event.

Several noted international figures including Indian Minister for Commerce and Industry, Piyush Goyal; State Minister for UK Asia Pacific Affairs, Anne-Marie Trevelyan; Minister of State for Development and Africa, Andrew Mitchell; UNCTAD Secretary General Rebeca Grynspan; Chairman of China International Development Cooperation Agency, Luo Zhaohui are addressing the summit.

Similarly, Vice President Chair of ADB, Yingming Yang; Acting Vice Chair of Asian Infrastructure Investment Bank, Rajit Mishra; Indian Ambassador to Nepal, Naveen Shreevastav; Executive Director of ITC India, Supratim Datta, and Senior Vice Chair of US Chamber of Commerce, Atul Keshap, also in the list to address it.

The event will also be addressed by former Prime Minister and major opposition leader Sher Bahadur Deuba, Finance Minister and summit convention committee director, Barsha Man Pun, and leaders of Nepali business community.

Nepa Media Society, an umbrella organization of private publications and television broadcasters, has demanded action against those involved in creating fake news with malicious intention to defame some established media houses and also to assassinate the character of their owners and a sitting Supreme Court justice.

Issuing a statement on Friday, Society Chairman Shuvashankar Kandel said that such attempts to spread rumors about responsible media houses have made them serious.

On Friday, Sidhakura.com, an online news portal, released an audio recording titled "Deal with Supreme Court justice among others to dismiss 400 corruption cases".

The Society said that audio was released with an aim to damage the reputation of  some media houses and also to attack on democratic structures, independent media and judiciary.

“The law enforcement agencies should immediately take action those involved in releasing the audio aimed at defaming some established media houses and damaging the reputation of their owners and a sitting Supreme Court justice without any facts or evidence. It is necessary to clarify that the factories that create such news with an ill intention to spread propaganda cannot be called the media,” Society Chairman Kandel said in the statement.

“We strongly demand that the government take action against such propaganda-producing factories and curb the activities that fall under the category of ‘hate speech’” he said.

Saying that international media organizations around the world, UNESCO and also the United Nations have consistently been expressing concern over the extreme misuse of social media and technology to spread rumors and to change the general public and entire society into an irresponsible group, Chairman Kandel said that such attempts are also being made in Nepal.

“It is a well-known fact that some interest groups and those who are abusing the government mechanism are being scared of Nepali responsible mainstream medias’ leading role in exposing some big corruption cases and other incidents,” the statement reads. “News can be made, should be made with facts on any topics or any one be it media houses or journalists. It is a terrible trend in itself to misuse any online news portals or social media platforms to avenge personal enmity. It is certain that such doings will weaken the democratic system in the future if not controlled on time.”

“It is necessary that the government and the law enforcement agencies should accept the fact that anything without responsibility will not be tolerable for a democratic society,” Kandel said, adding, “The latest fake audio case is part of a premeditated plan to attack on Nepali media, journalists and judiciary. It is clear that the latest fake audio case is nothing but a plan to spread rumors and manipulate the people.”

On Friday, Press Council Nepal had directed sidhakura.com to remove a fake news published on April 26, 2024, claiming that the leadership of Annapurna Media Network and Kantipur Publications were part of a meeting involving sitting and former Supreme Court justices and senior lawyers to dismiss more than 400 corruption cases. The news portal has named Capt. Rameshwar Thapa, chairman of Annapurna Media Network (AMN), and Kailash Sirohiya, chairman of Kantipur Publications, as key members of the so-called high profile secret meeting.

The Press Council has instructed the news portal to take down the news and furnish clarification for publishing such malicious and fabricated content. The made-up report advertised to readers as ‘exclusive’ is aimed at damaging the reputation of the Supreme Court as well as the media houses.

Japan’s Foreign Minister Yoko Kamikawa is arriving Nepal on May 4 for a two-day official visit.

According to Japan’s Ministry of Foreign Affairs, it is a part of her Asia tour. She will call on President Ram Chandra Paudel, Prime Minister Pushpa Kamal Dahal and other senior political leaders. Nepal and Japan are discussing the celebration of 70^th anniversary of the establishment of diplomatic relations between two countries. Earlier, in 2019, Japan’s then Foreign Minister Taro Kono had visited Nepal. 

Kantipur Media Group Managing Director Kailash Sirohiya has demanded action against those involved in creating and publishing fake news by including his name among others.

He wrote to the Press Council Nepal and demanded action after sidhakura.com on Friday published a misleading audio transmitted by including his name.

Who are the designers of such ill-acts? He has also urged the concerned authorities to identify them and take stern action.

“Creating and publishing fake news is also punishable by law. But some people are creating misleading content by misusing the technology to serve some interest groups. Such groups are not only assassinating the character of the honest people, but also trying to defame the government bodies,”

 Sirohiya said in the letter sent to the Press Council.

This act is motivated by the aim to defame the reputation of certain media houses and assassinate the charge of some justices.

Also Read: Press Council directs sidhakura to remove fake content

“It will be too late if we cannot identify and discourage those who are trying to weaken the pillar of the democratic system on time,” Sirohiya said.

Earlier on Friday, Annapurna Media Network Chairman Capt. Rameshwor Thapa had said that sidhakura.com has crossed the ethical and moral boundaries of journalism by trying to discredit the media institutions that have always stood for democracy. It has also besmirched the sanctity of the Supreme Court, he added, demanding legal action against the news portal. AMN management has said that it is in consultation with lawyers to seek legal remedies for the reputational damage through fabricated news.

Annapurna and Kantipur news outlets have been reporting news on Lamichhane’s alleged involvement in the misappropriation of funds from a financial cooperative.

Prime Minister Pushpa Kamal Dahal has pointed out the need of making timely reforms in the educational curriculum to stop the brain drain.

Prime Minister Dahal expressed such a view while addressing the 12th Convocation Ceremony of the Purbanchal University today.

"It is necessary to make drastic changes in curriculum to stop intellectual brain drain by boosting the sentiment among youth-students of doing something for the nation staying here", he explained.   

The PM stressed, "Curriculum should be prepared keeping technology-based innovation and research on top priority. There is a need for professional education linking with prosperity."  

Stating that the country could not achieve prosperity without participation of youths, he laid emphasis on youth-targeted entrepreneurship and innovation as well as increasing production and creating employment through human resources development.

The country is looking at youths' passion, skill, knowledge and capacity and seeking their contribution, the Prime Minister said, "The country can benefit from 40 per cent youths of the total population of the country and we should utilize this historic opportunity."

He further said it was necessary to change the existing educational system and situation of educational unemployment created by the existing educational system, and directed the schools and universities to impart technical and skill oriented education as educational institutions have been imparting knowledge in a traditional way.

Prime Minister Dahal added that the government has shown special attention to increase people's access to quality health service and education.

"The Purbanchal University should bring a medical college into operation by constructing necessary structures at its premises and quality health services should be provided to the people of this area", he mentioned.

The PM explained, "The Purbanchal University got the permission to run the medical college at my initiatives. I will take the initiative to provide affordable and quality health services to the people of this area in the coming days."

The Industry, Commerce, Labor and Consumer Welfare Committee of the House of Representatives has instructed the government to take steps to ensure that Nepali workers employed abroad get to exercise their right to vote in periodic elections.  

The committee meeting held at Singhadurbar on Thursday instructed the government to take steps for securing abroad-based Nepalis’ right to vote, noting that a large number of Nepalis are outside the country.

According to the National Population and Housing Census-2021, 7.5 percent of the national population of roughly 29m is living abroad. Out of the 2.1m people based abroad, 82.2 percent are male and 17.8 percent female.

The issue of voting rights of Nepali migrant workers has been a topic of discussions for quite some time. In 2018, the Supreme Court issued a directive ordering the government to draft a law enabling eligible Nepali nationals based abroad to vote. More than 100 countries, including 28 African countries, respect the voting rights of their migrant citizens.

The meeting also instructed the government to identify Nepali workers stranded abroad because of war and other reasons, and take immediate action for their rescue and repatriation.

Abdul Khan, the committee chair, informed that the meeting instructed the Minister for Labor to put an end to all kinds of fraud in foreign employment by regularly monitoring and inspecting manpower companies.

Furthermore, the committee directed the ministry to spend funds allocated to it more effectively, describing the utilization of the budget allocated for the current fiscal year as ‘disappointing’, even as Dol Prasad Acharya, Minister for Labor, Employment and Social Security, said the offices related to foreign employment were delivering services smoothly.

Those willing to go for foreign employment can get labor permits within an hour through the online system, he said.

Committee members also drew the ministry’s serious attention toward instances of manpower agencies cheating Nepali workers heading for foreign employment. They urged the government to focus on solving migrant workers’ problems.

Vice-President (South, Central and West Asia) of the Asian Development Bank (ADB), Yingming Yang, paid a courtesy call on Prime Minister Pushpa Kamal Dahal.

During the meeting held at the official residence of the Prime Minister at Baluwatar today, they discussed the issues of economic development of Nepal and upcoming investment summit, according to the Prime Minister Dahal's Secretariat.

On the occasion, PM Dahal said Nepal is the appropriate destination for investment, adding there is ADB's significant investment in Nepal's physical infrastructure development.

He shared that Nepal would present effective and investment-worthy projects in the investment summit taking place in Nepal.

"The government has built an appropriate environment for investment by making legal and policy-level revision. It is the best opportunity for investment in Nepal", underscored PM Dahal.

Stating that ADB was ready to invest in Nepal's strategic projects, Vice-President Yang explained that the ADB would prepare a strategy to further invest in Nepal in the coming days.  

Dr Rupak Sapkota, Foreign Affairs advisor to PM Dahal, high-ranking officials of ADB in Nepal were present on the occasion.