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Coronavirus infection is found among the Nepalis returning home from different cities of India.

Coronavirus test has been made mandatory at Nepal-India bordering areas after a new variant of coronavirus (JN.1) was detected in India.

Chief of the Health Desk set up at Gauriphanta checkpoint, Ganesh Saud, said that coronavirus infection was found in 10 people returned from India so far.

"We have been conducting antigen tests among India-returnees and 10 cases of coronavirus have been recorded so far," he mentioned.

Saud shared that those found infected with coronavirus have been suggested to stay in home isolation.

Hundreds of Nepalis are returning home every day via Gauriphanta checkpoint from different places of India.

Samples were collected and sent to Kathmandu to confirm the variant of corona two weeks ago, but its report has not been received yet, added the Health Desk Chief. 

However, coronavirus has not been confirmed on Nepalis returning home using Gaddachauki checkpoint of Kanchanpur so far, according to the District Health Office, Kanchanpur.

The price of gold has dropped by Rs 700 per tola in the domestic market on Monday.

According to the Federation of Nepal Gold and Silver Dealers’ Association, the yellow metal is being traded at Rs 118, 800 per tola today. It was traded at Rs 119, 500 per tola.

Meanwhile, tejabi gold is being traded at Rs 118, 250 per tola. It was traded at Rs 118, 950 per tola.

Similarly, the price of silver has dropped by Rs 5 and is being traded at Rs 1,415 per tola today.

Nepali Congress leader Krishna Prasad Sitaula filed his nomination for the National Assembly election from Koshi Province.

He filed his nomination for the member of the National Assembly by reaching the Biratnagar-based Office of the Election Office on Monday morning.

Sitaula’s nomination was proposed by Pradeep Sunuwar and seconded by Himal Karki.

The Congress on Sunday nominated Sitaula as the candidate of the party in the National Assembly election unanimously.

A meeting of the Parliamentary Board held at the Party Central Office finalized the candidates of the election.

Sitaula, who had already served as the General Secretary of the Nepali Congress, had lost in the last House of Representatives election from Jhapa-3.

Rastriya Prajatantra Party Chairman Rajendra Lingden with the support of the CPN-UML defeated Sitaula, a candidate of the ruling coalition.

The filing of nominations for the National Assembly election scheduled for January 25 is taking place today.

The nomination papers of the candidates are to be registered at the Office of Returning Officer established in the capitals of all seven provinces from 10 am to 3 pm today.

Spokesperson of the Election Commission Shaligram Sharma Poudel informed that all necessary preparation and responsibilities to be placed prior to the registration of nomination has been over.

The province assembly members, chairpersons and vice chairpersons of rural municipalities and mayors and deputy mayors of municipalities are the voters in the NA member election.

As per the legal provision, 549 province assembly members and 2047 local level leaders (mayor/chair and deputy mayor/vice-chairperson) have been enlisted in the voters' roll.

The vote weight of provincial assembly members has been fixed at 53 and that of chiefs and deputy chiefs of municipalities/rural municipalities at 19. The total vote weight of provincial assembly members is 29,097 and that of chiefs and deputy chiefs is 28,462.

According to the Election Commission, the final list of voters has already been published on Sunday.

The nomination list will be published on January 9 while the final list of candidates will be published on January 12 after completing the process of protest and complaint against candidates and probe.

The candidates will be provided with election symbols on January 13. One polling station and two polling centers have been set up in each province for the election.

Voting will take place from 9 am to 3 pm on January 25. The term of one-third of the 59-member National Assembly is completed every two years. Women, Dalits, persons with disabilities or minorities and members from other communities will be elected from different provinces and regions in this election.

Nepali Congress (NC) has finalized its candidates for the election to the National Assembly (NA) members.

The NC Central Performance Committee meeting that concluded last night decided to nominate candidates for the NA election.

The meeting chaired by NC President Sher Bahadur Deuba decided to present Krishna Prasad Sitaula (other) in the Koshi province, Ananda Prasad Dhungana (other) in the Madhes province, Jeetjung Basnet (other), Bishnu Devi Pudasaini (women) in the Bagmati province, Kiran Babu Shrestha (other), Padma Bahadur Pariyar (disabled and minorities) in the Gandaki province.

Likewise, the party decided to field Bishnu Kumari Sapkota (women) in the Lumbini province, Baldev Bohora (other) and Narayan Dutta Bhatta (disabled and minorities) in the Sudurpaschim province, Informed NC office chief secretary Krishna Prasad Poudel.

As per the consensus in the ruling coalition, NC is fielding candidates for 10 posts in the election to the NA members taking place January 25 for total 19 posts.

NC has appealed to all voters to emerge the candidates of the ruling coalition victorious in the election.

During Indian Minister for External Affair S Jaishankar’s Nepal visit last week, Nepal and India signed an agreement on implementing High Impact Community Development Projects (HICDPs) with new terms and an increased amount of grants. The two countries increased the fund size for the projects to Rs 200m. The fund size was previously capped at a maximum of Rs 50m per project.

Some political leaders have expressed displeasure over the deal, saying it goes against Nepal’s national interests. What does this agreement really mean for Nepal and is there any truth to what the critics are saying? Let’s find out.

What are small development projects ?

In the 2000s, India revisited its development projects mainly in the neighborhood. Indian policymakers realized the importance of community-driven development projects, so that they could be completed within the stipulated time frame. As a pilot project in South Asia, India first launched the projects in Nepal under the name of Small Development Projects (SDPs) which gradually expanded over time. The core concept of this program was ensuring a triangular partnership between communities, local governments and the Embassy of India in Kathmandu supporting small development projects. According to a study carried out by the Research and Information System for Developing Countries (RIS), a New Delhi-based think tank, the idea is to link development projects with community and with local development efforts, and at the same time, ensure the role for local agencies. According to RIS, this program has evolved over the years and is now being extended by India in other neighboring countries like Afghanistan, Bhutan and Sri Lanka. The focus areas of the program are education, health, and cultural heritage, among others. In 2003, then Prime Minister Surya Bahadur Thapa agreed to implement such projects in Nepal. 

What are HICDPs? 

This is a continuation of the  SDPs initiated in 2003 and it is an important portfolio of development partnership. According to the Indian Embassy in Kathmandu, these grassroots projects have been implemented in the priority sector of Nepal, such as hospitals, schools, colleges, drinking water facilities, sanitation, hydropower plant and embankment and river training works. According to a research conducted by the Center for Social Inclusion and Federalism, prior to Nepal’s transition to federalism, the district development committees used to send applications to the respective ministries, such as education and health, for aid. Those ministries would then forward the applications to the Finance Ministry. But in 2020, Nepal and India agreed to a new provision. According to Nepal government’s decision of 30th September 2020, to receive aid under the Indian Embassy’s SDPs, organizations are first required to submit a proposal to the respective local body, either municipality or rural municipality. 

How many projects have been completed so far? 

Since 2003, over 544 HICDPs have been undertaken by India. Of them, 480 projects have been completed and the remaining 59 projects are still ongoing. After Nepal adopted federalism structure with the promulgation of the 2015 constitution, Nepal and India worked on how to implement the projects. Province-wise, 84 projects have been completed in Koshi, 81 projects in Madhes, 105 in Bagmati, 61 in Gandaki, 60 projects in Lumbini, 14 in Karnlai and 41 in Sudurpaschim. 

Which other South Asian countries have implemented HICDPs? 

Other South Asian countries to implement HICDPs are Bangladesh, Bhutan and Afghanistan. In 2023, India doubled its high-impact community development projects in Bangladesh. The two countries had signed the initial agreement in 2005. In Bhutan, 392 projects have been completed under the program. India and Bhutan have formed a separate committee to implement HICDPs and they review the projects on a periodic basis. Similarly, India and Afghanistan expanded these projects in 2019. 

How are projects selected? 

The Ministry of Finance has stated that funding requests from local units are first filtered by the Ministry of Federal Affairs and Local Development (MoFALD). The Finance Ministry receives project recommendations from the MoFALD, shortlists the projects on priority basis and requests the Indian government for funding. The respective rural municipality and municipality must also contribute counterpart funds of five percent and 10 percent, respectively. This provision, however, can be relaxed under special circumstances.

What is the application process for HICDPs ? 

According to the Indian Embassy in Kathmandu, to apply for HICDP funds, there is a specific format that must be followed along with submission of necessary documents, duly attested by the Nepal government agencies. The concerned local government must submit the proposal by disclosing project title, location, budget requirements and local government’s contribution, among others. 

Where are the projects implemented ? 

The CESIF research says, one could expect a higher concentration of project grants in the Tarai region bordering India. However, analysis shows India’s grants are relatively more concentrated in the northern districts bordering China than in the southern districts. Since 2019, India has funded in total 23 projects—18 education related, two health related, and three small infrastructure projects—in 26 districts bordering India, the research says. In the same period, India has funded 48 projects—23 education related, 18 health and sanitation related, two culture related and five small-scale infrastructure projects—in 15 northern districts bordering the Tibet Autonomous Region of China. 

What do the critics say about HICDP? 

Critics argue that HICDP grants India the opportunity for micromanagement, enabling the Indian Embassy to engage with local stakeholders. Political leaders are divided on the program. Senior leader of CPN (Unified Socialist) and former Prime Minister Jhalanath Khanal has vehemently opposed the decision to renew HICDP. He said that obtaining funds from foreign embassies for projects in Nepal is detrimental to the national interests of Nepal. “This goes against our independence and sovereignty. This is against our national interests,” Khanal told the media recently. CPN-UML leader Raghuji Panta also said that the agreement is against national interests. Speaking at the Parliamentary Committee for State Affairs and Good Governance, he warned that the HICDPs could lead to political meddling. He has also made a written request to Prime Minister Pushpa Kamal Dahal to reconsider the agreement, terming it a foreign interference in Nepal’s internal affairs.

What do the defenders say? 

Nepali Congress leader Bimalendra Nidhi has welcomed the agreement. He dismissed the claims that the projects are chosen solely at the discretion of the Indian Embassy. “The involvement and approval of the concerned ministries are a must to select the projects,” he said. “Various leaders and activists have already been soliciting development funds for their areas from Indian ambassadors and officials. Their opposition to the agreement now reveals their dual character.”

Aditya Goenka, a student from Nepal who topped the Richmond American University at London in BA Economics (Hons), leading to distinguished offers from the prestigious Cambridge and London School of Economics for pursuing his Masters’, has committed himself to helping alleviate poverty at large, reshaping the socio-economic landscape in Nepal with the help of a multi-utility grass called Vetiver. He envisions extending his paradigm of sustainable and inclusive development across the developing world once he sees Nepal’s underprivileged empowered with sustainable and inclusive development in place. 

He believes that comprehending ‘Ecosystem based Adaptation (EBA)’ holds the key to the holistic development of a nation. For us in Nepal, this is very pertinent. It can be understood as interactions that connect several approaches to addressing climate change adaptation, biodiversity and ecosystem conservation, and socioeconomic development with people being at the center of the approach. For the vulnerable communities, it assumes even larger significance.

He has embraced Vetiver, a specific vegetation known for its capability as a sustainable agriculture tool along with being a bioengineering marvel. It impacts all the 17 SDGs in Nepal. The initiative covers diverse need-based arenas as critical as soil and water conservation, disaster mitigation, wasteland reclamation, groundwater recharge, carbon sequestration, phytoremediation of abandoned mines, quarries etc, substitution of fossil fuel with green energy, landfills, leachates, and many more.

The impact of his work has been revolutionary across various applications, with the aforesaid being just a few examples. Vetiver plantations can be seen at several public projects in Nepal having solved bioengineering challenges with elan—such as the under-construction ‘Fast Track’ road project from Nijgadh to Kathmandu, Pokhara International Airport, Mahakali Irrigation Project, Wasteland Reclamation for farmers and several more. 

Goenka is confident that most of the critical issues as challenging as poverty, climate, hunger, unemployment in Nepal (and in extension across the developing world) can be addressed with Vetiver which is not just a grass but, it’s a technology. It is a C4 perennial grass that fits well in ecosystem service models contributing to multifarious environmental applications, and offers sustainable opportunities for carbon sequestration as well.

Vetiver has unique morphological, physiological and ecological characteristics including its massive root system, tolerance to highly adverse growing conditions and to high levels of toxicities. As a fast growing grass, it possesses some features of both grasses and trees by having profusely grown, deep penetrating root systems that can offer both erosion prevention and control of shallow movement of surface earth mass. It is also cost-effective and environmentally-friendly.

On the poverty alleviation narrative, Goenka is working on a model wherein the farmers can bid adieu to the less revenue-accruing traditional crops and plant Vetiver as a livelihood measure which would fetch them several times more of revenue—a buy back arrangement with institutional tie-up is being worked out by him. This will enable a large number of farmers to come out of misery. There are several farmers in the terai whose stretches of lands got swept away by devastating rivers turning those into wastelands. 

Since Vetiver evolves in such lands too, there will still be a restoration of fortune for them which provides a sigh of relief to this young epitome of humanity, Aditya whose mission is driven on the premise of his pledge to bring a smile on the faces of these farmers many of who have been rendered “Sukumbasis”. He is working with his plantations right in a flood-devastated region of the downstream Bagmati river where there is a settlement of ‘Sukumbasis’ whom he provides employment and supports with Vetiver plants to guard whatever little lands some of them could save when a major flood struck the region in 2050.     

Goenka envisions helping usher-in security for the nation across all the following attributes if the wastelands in the country which are absolutely redundant today, could be put to Vetiver plantation. food, jobs, energy, climate, economic rewards, et al, can be available to the nation. 

The main opposition CPN- UML has finalized the candidates for National Assembly (NA) election slated for January 25. It has picked candidates for all 19 seats.

The names of the candidates to vie for the Upper House election have been made public today.

According to the press statement released by the UML, Rukmini Chaudhary of Sunsari and Parshuram Adhikari of Bhojpur district have been nominated from the Koshi Province for the election.

Similarly, Usha Devi Tharuni of Parsa and Arjun Kumar Singh of Mahottari have been selected from the Madhesh Province, while Rocha Kumari Chaulagain of Dolakha, Trilochan Nirmal Poudel of Chitwan, Bibek Devkota of Kathmandu and Dhrubaraj Bishwakarma have been chosen as the party candidates from the Bagmati Province.

The party has decided Samjhana Devkota of Gorkha, Chakra Bahadur Parajuli of Syangja and Hemchandra Sherchan of Mustang to contest the NA election representing the Gandaki Province.

Likewise, Tulasa Kumari KC of Dan and Jhapendra Bahadur Gharti of Palpa are candidates chosen from Lumbini Province while Bimala Kumari Shahi of Humla, Dilli Prasad Bhatta of Mugu and Hikmat BK of Dailekh have been nominated from the Karnali Province.

Savitri Devi Ghimire of Kailali, Ishwori Prasad Kharel of Kanchanpur and Ramchandra Joshi of Kailali have been party's candidates from the Sudurpaschim Province, according to the statement.

Today marks the publication of the voter’s name list while tomorrow is the day for registration of candidacies for the NA election taking place on January 25.