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Prime Minister Pushpa Kamal Dahal has said that health insurance should be made more effective to improve the access and use of quality health services in the country.

Speaking at the 12th assembly of Patan Institute of Health Sciences, Prime Minister and Chancellor of the Institute Dahal stressed on the need to realize the state's goal of ensuring health services for all on the basis of social security and health insurance.

Lauding the positive efforts of the local levels in making the health insurance scheme successful, the Prime Minister expressed the belief that the agreement reached with Lalitpur Metropolitan City to provide specialist health services to make the national health insurance program a success will become a model for the country.

He also expressed his belief that the health services provided by the PIHS to the general public will be of higher quality and efficiency in the future, with access to more people.

Prime Minister Dahal also recalled the institute's significant contribution to treatment of those infected with COVID-19.

On a different note, the Prime Minister emphasized on the need for international level study and research in the field of health science and the production of skilled and quality health human resources.

World Leprosy Day is being celebrated today with a variety of programs across the country.

The World Leprosy Day is celebrated on the last Sunday of January. The theme for World Leprosy Day 2024 is “Beat Leprosy”, which encapsulates the dual objectives of the day: to eradicate the stigma associated with leprosy and to promote the dignity of people affected by the disease, says the World Health Organisation.

Leprosy is a highly contagious disease caused by a microbe called Mycobacterium leprae. If diagnosed and treated on time it can be treated and also stopped from spreading, says Director of Epidemiology and Disease Control Division Department of Health Services, Dr Rudra Prasad Marasini.

A total of 2,522 new leprosy patients were found in the country in the fiscal year 2079/80, with the majority of them in Madhes province. Altogether, 944 patients were found in the province, while 565 were detected in Lumbini, 471 in Koshi, 230 in Sudurpaschim, 120 in Bagmati, 119 in Gandaki and 73 in Karnali.

Head of the leprosy control and disability management unit of the department, Dr Prashanna Napit, said that the government has implemented the 'National Leprosy Strategy 2078-2082' to create a leprosy-free Nepal.

South Asian Film Festival is going to be held in Sauraha. The festival to be held from February 1 in Ratnanagar Municipality-7 is being organized by Caravan Nepal.

President of Caravan Nepal and film director Bimal Paudel said the film festival is being organized with the aim of developing Nepali films and promoting tourism in Chitwan.

The festival will comprise more than 100 stalls of movies, tourism and local traditional delicacies and is expected to draw 50,000 spectators, with a turnover of Rs. 15 million.

During the five-day festival, discussion will be held on initiatives to be taken by the state and private sector for the development of film and tourism, while attention of the government will be drawn for policy reforms.

Ratnanagar Municipality is providing its support to the festival that will feature films, documentaries and short films, amidst the presence of filmmakers from eight countries in the region. It is also expected to promote cultural exchange and celebrate the richness of South Asian storytelling.

Awards will also be presented to the best film, best director and best screenplay categories. Gokarna Giri, the co-coordinator of the main festival organizing committee said that the regional film festival in Sauraha is expected to revive the tourism in Sauraha and Chitwan.

Prior to this, the Caravan Nepal had organized the Golden Film Festival in Birgunj and a festival related to Buddha's biography and philosophy in Lumbini, the birthplace of Gautam Buddha.

The Kathmandu Municipal Corporation is providing free vehicle parking services in the Dharahara premises in Sundhara of Kathmandu from today.

Free parking service will be available from today on the first floor of the parking building built next to the Dharahara tower, according to the KMC. It may be noted that the KMC has declared the blacktopped roads in New Road as the parking prohibited zone.

Head of KMC Police, Senior Superintendent Rajunath Pandey, said along with the free parking service in Kathmandu Tower (former bus park), parking will also be provided free at Dharahara premises.

An area of 50,000 square feet will be available for free parking at the Dharaha premises, which can be reached from the road leading to Khichapokhari from Kathmandu Mall.

Do you want to learn about fashion, history, politics, and economics?  There are many brilliant podcasts on each of the subjects, and more are regularly being made. The good news is that podcasting shows no signs of slowing down. You can discover amazing content on anything you are curious about. What you consider to be the ‘best’ depends on what you are looking for but here are our top five picks.

The Daily

The Daily is the second most popular podcast in the world after the Joe Rogan Experience. It has 25 to 45-minute-long episodes on the latest, most relevant news. It is hosted by American journalists Michael Barbaro and Sabrina Tavernise. The podcast was launched in 2017. Through conversations with the New York Times journalists, their sources, and other newsmakers, the podcast covers compelling issues and stories. There is also music and necessary audio clips to enhance the episodes. News doesn’t have to feel dry and rushed when you make it a habit to tune into The Daily podcast.

Stuff You Should Know

If you are curious about the world and how things work in general then this is the perfect podcast for you. Started in 2008, the podcast has over 1400 episodes and covers a wide range of topics. You will get to learn about how police interrogation works, what money laundering entails, schizophrenia, mummies, and many other interesting things. There are also short episodes, that are 10 minutes long, on boba tea, evil eye, etc. that you can listen to during your daily commute to work. The two hosts have great banter which makes for easy, fun listening.

On Purpose

If you want to improve your life and be inspired to change, this podcast, hosted by Jay Shetty, British podcaster, author, and life coach, might be what you are looking for. It’s one of the most popular self-development podcasts available today. Shetty interviews renowned personalities like Oprah Winfrey, Michelle Obama, Jada Pinkett Smith, and Drew Barrymore among others, covering a hoard of topics like productivity, relationships, parenting, conquering fear, etc. There are episodes on how to create the perfect morning routine, manage sleep, interact with toxic family members, and other helpful tips and tricks that can go a long way in making your life better.

Huberman Lab

Andrew Huberman, the 48-year-old Stanford University neuroscientist, hosts the Huberman Lab podcast. The podcast consistently ranks among the top 10 podcasts on Spotify and Apple and has more than 4.8 million subscribers on YouTube. The first episode was aired in 2021. Since then, Huberman has gone on to sell tickets to live shows and even signed a two-book deal with Simon & Schuster. The first book is supposed to be out this year. It speaks volumes of the show’s popularity. The podcast is informative and unbiased. Huberman also brings in experts to talk about different things related to science. The result is incredible insight on how we can use science to improve our lives, and perhaps even live longer.

Incredible Women

In the Incredible Women podcast, you meet successful women from all walks of life who will talk you through their ups and downs. These are women who are bringing radical change in the fields of fashion, art, films, and music. The podcast is about celebrating some global heroines while inspiring the listeners to do and be their best. It’s currently in its seventh season. Some topics of discussion include redefining beauty standards and challenging social media; courage, hope, and raising women’s rights; fashion, technology, and the future of design, among others. Each episode is around 30 minutes long, making it just right for when you are bored and need a recharge. The conversations are enlightening and don’t, at any point, feel dragged out.

Love and Other Words

Christina Lauren

Romance

Told in alternating timelines between Then and Now, teenage Elliot and Macy grow from friends to much more—spending weekends and lazy summers together in a house outside of San Francisco devouring books, sharing favorite words, and talking through their growing pains and triumphs. As adults, they have become strangers to one another until their chance reunion. Although their memories are obscured by the agony of what happened that night so many years ago, Elliot will come to understand the truth behind Macy’s decade-long silence and will have to overcome the past and himself to revive her faith in the possibility of an all-consuming love.

The Places That Scare You

Pema Chodron

Buddhism | Spirituality

We always have a choice, Pema Chodron teaches: We can let the circumstances of our lives harden us and make us increasingly resentful and afraid, or we can let them soften us and make us kinder. Here Pema provides the tools to deal with the problems and difficulties that life throws our way. This wisdom is always available to us, she teaches, but we usually block it with habitual patterns rooted in fear. Beyond that fear lies a state of open heartedness and tenderness. This book teaches us how to awaken our basic goodness and connect with others, to accept ourselves and others complete with faults and imperfections, and to stay in the present moment by seeing through the strategies of ego that cause us to resist life as it is.

Black Coffee

Agatha Christie

Mystery | Crime

Inventor Sir Claude Amory feels a bitter taste in the mouth when the new formula for explosive material is stolen by someone in the household. To quickly remedy the situation, Sir Claude locks the door and turns off the light, giving the thief a chance to return the formula without being detected. But darkness brings death and Hercule Poirot has to untangle family strife, love, and suspicious visitors to clarify the murderer and prevent disaster. The first piece that Christie wrote for the stage, Black Coffee launched a successful second career for her as a playwright.

 The trend of using personal bank accounts for business transactions to evade taxes is on the rise in the country as evidenced by the number of such cases reported to the Financial Intelligence Unit (FIU-Nepal), according to the Nepal Rastra Bank (NRB). 

In the annual report of FIU-Nepal, the NRB said that personal bank accounts were being used to evade tax instead of business and institutional bank accounts.  

In its findings, the report stated that 37 percent of suspicious transaction reports received from Jan 2020 to Dec 2022 were related to the suspicion of tax evasion through use of personal bank accounts for business transactions. On an average, monthly 65 such suspicious transactions were received by FIU-Nepal during this period, it is said.

According to the central bank, 48 percent of such business transactions were linked with proprietorship business, 33 percent with private limited companies and 19 percent of such firms’ registration status remained unknown. 

“Nature of such involved businesses are trading, manufacturing, hotels and restaurants, travels, medical etc. Multiple personal accounts were found to be used for transactions for a single business. For such transactions, personal accounts of the proprietor or shareholder is used in most of the cases. Other involved are: family members, employees,” the report revealed.

The FIU-Nepal analyzed 204 such cases and 113 were disseminated to the Department of Revenue Investigation and Inland Revenue Department for further investigation. “Based on disseminated cases, a suspicious amount is approximately Rs 12 billion on an annual basis,” it stated. 

In its recommendation, the report has urged all the stakeholders to play an active role for harmonization in the nature of business and the type of account used for the related transactions. 

The customers are recommended to be aware of types of accounts and its purpose at the time of customer onboarding and on a regular basis while the business firms and companies need to be made aware regarding use of the firm’s or company’s account while conducting business related transactions.

Likewise, the regulators have been urged to impose fines and penalties on use of personal savings accounts for business related transactions. The use of personal bank accounts for business related transactions should be discouraged through directives.

Furthermore, the investigating agencies are recommended to include the personal accounts of shareholders, promoters, proprietors, key staffers and their close associates while undergoing tax assessment or any other kind of investigation. 

The Indian Embassy in Kathmandu celebrated the 75^th Republic Day of India on Friday.

At a program organized at Kathmandu-based Indian Embassy, Indian Ambassador to Nepal, Naveen Srivastava inaugurated the programme by hoisting the national flag of India.

On the occasion, he extended best wishes to the members of the Indian diaspora in Nepal. A video clip of the address to the nation by Indian President Droupadi Murmu was also screened. 

In the video message, the Indian President talked about the achievements gained by India in different sectors since the last Independence Day, including the G20 Summit chaired by India, and the Chandrayaan-3 mission.

Similarly, the Indian envoy distributed Rs 50.7 million and blankets to wives of deceased army and their close relatives, and honored them. 

Reiterating his commitment to support Ex-Indian Gurkha soldiers, he unveiled a magazine Ex-2024 which comprises the welfare efforts undertaken by the Indian government for the Ex-Indian Gurkha soldiers residing in Nepal.

The Indian Embassy also on the occasion gifted books worth Rs 1.9 million to 30 different organizations.