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Foreign Minister Arzu Rana is set to leave for Beijing on November 28.

Minister Rana is leaving for Beijing to prepare for Prime Minister KP Sharma Oli’s official visit to China from November 17.

Foreign Minister Rana will welcome the Prime Minister in Beijing on November 17.

The Foreign Minister’s press adviser Ekraj Pathak informed that Minister Rana is leaving for Beijing for the preparation of Prime Minister Oli’s visit to China.

Though Foreign Minister Rana is preparing for a formal visit to China, the invitation has not come yet, Pathak said.

A source at the Prime Minister's Office, however, said that Foreign Minister Rana will reach Beijing on November 13.

The source said that Minister Rana is leaving for Beijing via Tokyo.

The price of gold has dropped by Rs 400 per tola (11.66 grams) in the domestic market on Wednesday.

According to the Federation of Nepal Gold and Silver Dealers' Association, the gold is being traded at Rs 162,200 per tola today. It was Rs 162,600 per tola on Tuesday.

Meanwhile, the price of silver has increased by Rs 15 and is being traded at Rs 1, 940 per tola.

UN Secretary General Antonio Guterres is scheduled to pay a courtesy call on President Ram Chandra Paudel in Baku, Azerbaijan on Wednesday.

Also today, President Paudel is organizing a special session on 'Addressing climate loss and damage in mountainous regions' on behalf of Nepal.

The session will draw the attention of the world community to the problems facing Nepal due to climate change. President Paudel will participate in the program to be organized by Kyrgyzstan today.

Minister for Forest and Environment Ain Bahadur Shahi will attend the high-level meeting.

President Paudel arrived here on Monday leading a high-level delegation to attend the 29th Conference of Parties of United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change (COP29) summit at the invitation of Azerbaijan's President Ilham Aliyev.

Influential leaders working in the field of climate change in most countries of the world, including presidents or vice presidents of 40 countries and prime ministers of 35 countries, are participating in the conference for discussions and global cooperation.

The Ministry of Energy, Water Resources, and Irrigation has released the much-anticipated Lal Commission report, which highlights an arrears dispute of Rs 22bn concerning dedicated and trunk electricity lines. Following a cabinet decision on Sunday, the report was made public on Monday.

The commission, led by former Supreme Court Judge Girish Chandra Lal, was formed in February 2016 to investigate and resolve issues surrounding tariffs for dedicated and trunk lines. The commission submitted its findings in May, and the government has committed to implementing its recommendations.

According to the report, the Nepal Electricity Authority (NEA) charged dedicated and trunk line tariffs prior to formal issuance by the Tariff Determination Commission, combining various billing errors and concessions irregularly. The report spans three main periods, from 2015 to 2020, and outlines issues like unimplemented tariff concessions, mixed billing practices, and non-compliance with Time of Day (TOD) meter billing requirements.

Key findings and recommendations

• Aug 2015-Jan 2016: NEA set tariffs independently for dedicated lines without formal approval, which industrial customers opposed. The report indicates that discount billing during this period was legally questionable.
• Feb 2016-May 2018: During extensive load shedding, NEA set higher tariffs for dedicated and trunk lines, but inconsistently applied these standards. Notices were issued suspending dedicated line services, but the authority continued to bill customers, prompting the commission to recommend recalculations.
• June 2018-July 2020: After load shedding ended in May 2018, the report finds no basis for dedicated and trunk line tariffs, as they were originally intended for uninterrupted power.

Billing irregularities and legal proceedings

The report highlights that NEA’s billing practices—like failing to download data from TOD meters—created complications, leading to increased arrears. It recommends that disputed fees be re-evaluated.

In addressing dispute resolution, the commission notes that 19 of 59 industries have completed the legal process, while others directly approached the district court. Per NEA Act 1984, district courts handle disputes where NEA is a party.

The ministry has expressed a commitment to resolve these long standing arrears, working in coordination with the Tariff Determination Commission to ensure accurate billing and tariff compliance going forward.

The electricity of the national transmission grid has reached the base camp of Tilicho Lake, a tourist destination in Manang district.

Electricity supply has been started by bringing the national transmission line to the base camp at an altitude of 4,250 meters above sea level in Manang Ngisyang Rural Municipality-9. Power supply has been provided by keeping a distribution transformer of 50 KVA capacity at the base camp.

There are 10 hotels, health posts and small restaurants operating in the base camp. There are 15 electricity customers in the base camp. Before reaching the national transmission line, the base camp was supplied with electricity from solar energy and diesel generators. The place falls within the Annapurna Conservation Area.

Chyolpa Gurung, Ward Chairperson of Manang Ngisyang Rural Municipality-9, said that there was a big problem of electricity supply in tourist places due to expansion of solar energy and said that now it is much easier after reaching the national transmission line.

After reaching the national line, a machine has been placed to measure the oxygen level for the hikers going to Tilicho Lake from the base camp. Gurung, who is also running a hotel in the base camp said “Water has been boiled using electricity, which has reduced the use of gas by about 40 percent.” He also mentioned that because firewood is expensive in that area, gas is used for cooking and boiling water.

33 KV power transmission line from the substation of Radhi small Hydropower station located in Marsyangdi-5 Ghermu of Lamjung to the 33/11 KV substation located in Chame Rural Municipality-1 Sarkyu. From the said substation,  11 KV line was taken to the base camp through Chame, the headquarters of Manang District. The Authority has operated 45 KW Chame Small Hydropower Station and 80 KW Manang Small Hydropower Station to supply electricity to Manang. As part of the Marsyangdi Corridor 220 KV transmission line project, the power supply of Manang will be improved after the construction of a 220 KV substation is completed in Nason rural municipality-1 Dharapani of Manang and the line is started from there.

Prime Minister and Chancellor of the Karnali Academy of Health Science, KP Sharma Oli, is set to leave for Jumla today to attend the first convocation ceremony of the Academy.

The Prime Minister will be accompanied by Minister for Health and Population Pradeep Poudel, Vice-Chairperson of Medical Education Commission Prof Dr Anjani Kumar Jha, Director of the US-based Hardware Medical College Center for Primary Care and System Strengthening Christine Massinger in the convocation ceremony, PM Oli’s private secretariat informed.

The weather will be partly cloudy in the hilly regions and fair in the rest of the country.

According to the Department of Hydrology and Meteorology, the weather will be partly cloudy in the hilly regions of Koshi, Bagmati, Gandaki and Lumbini Provinces, and fair in the rest of the country.

Light rain is likely to occur at one or two places of the hilly regions of Koshi, Bagmati and Gandaki Provinces, and light snowfall at one or two places of the high hilly and mountainous regions.

Similarly, the weather will be partly cloudy in the hilly regions of Koshi, Bagmati and Gandaki Provinces tonight.

Light rain is likely to occur at one or two places of the hilly regions of Koshi, Bagmati and Gandaki provinces and light snowfall at one or two places of the high hilly and mountainous regions in the next 24 hours.

Taking this into consideration, the Department has urged the general public adopt precautionary measures as it is likely to partially affect agriculture, health, tourism, mountaineering and road and transport in the places.

President Ram Chandra Paudel, who arrived in Azerbaijan leading a high-level Nepali delegation to attend the 29th Conference of the Parties (COP29) of the United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change (UNFCCC), is hosting a high-level session on behalf of Nepal today.

In the session 'Addressing Climate Induced Loss and Damage in Mountainous Regions', Nepal would draw the attention of the global community to the agenda.

In his address to the COP29 summit on Tuesday, President Paudel called for the global community to internalize the reality that the protection of the mountains is the protection of the earth.

"Let us all take care that the protection of the mountains is the protection of the earth. The world should not forget that the process of turning the white mountains into black mountains will not only lead to the crisis in the countries but also the low-lying coastal countries", he stressed.

In the meeting with the President of the Maldives, Mohamud Muizzu on Tuesday, President Paudel said countries like Nepal and the Maldives which have been hit hard by climate change should ramp up bilateral collaboration on the issue and reciprocate in climate negotiations.

This time Nepal has participated in the 'World Leaders Climate Action Summit' under the leadership of President Paudel.

President Poudel arrived here on Monday to attend the COP29 summit at the invitation of Azerbaijan's President Ilham Aliyev.

Influential leaders working in the field of climate change in most countries of the world, including Presidents or Vice presidents of 40 countries and Prime Ministers of 35 countries, are participating in the conference for discussions and global cooperation.