Submit your Article

Birgunj Metropolitan City has collected nearly Rs 400 million in revenue in the last 10 months of the current fiscal year. It was able to collect Rs 398 million.

The revenue collected increased by Rs 31.8 million as compared to the same period of the last fiscal year.

Revenue division chief of Birgunj Metropolitan City Office, Manoj Karna, however, said they had aimed at collecting Rs 700 million in revenue; it was only Rs 400 so far. The existing budget was revised last January.

"Economic downturn caused decline in trade activities, which has clearly impacted on revenue collection," he added.

Similarly, Chief Administrative Officer at Metropolis, Matrika Bhattarai, informed that although they had aimed at collecting Rs 500 as land tax in the current fiscal year, it was now difficult to meet the target. "It is because of the downturn in realty business. We're able to collect Rs 139 million so far," he said, adding that it was difficult to manage resources owing to failure to meet the target of internal revenue.

The metropolis has been collecting inland revenue under 24 headings. Under the house rent, Rs 49 million was gained as revenue this year.

We never had to think of meals and what to eat when we were growing up. Our mothers, fathers, and, if we were lucky, grandparents, did all the heavy lifting aka buying, prepping, chopping, cooking, for us. All we had to do was sit down on the table, pour ourselves a glass of water, and eat what was served. And we still had the audacity to complain about the food.

Fast forward a decade later, we are now the masters of our fate—meaning not only do we have to decide what to eat, we also have to make our own meals. We might not be able to hire a full-time cook or eat out all the time (neither is it healthy nor very budget-friendly), the least we can do is make cooking a pleasurable affair. Here are three simple ways you can shorten your time in the kitchen as well as give yourself the options and the motivation to cook a delectable meal every single time.

 Have a counter top tray

Next to your cooking range, keep a tray with essential items like oils, kitchen roll, a holder for spoons and spatulas, and other things you need easy access to while cooking. It doesn’t make sense to stash away things you will be reaching for frequently as it will only make cooking more arduous. Place a knife block and a cutting board next to it as well. Make sure you don’t clutter the countertop with all these things. Display them nicely so that it creates a visual appeal in your kitchen while facilitating the cooking process. Alternatively, you can also invest in some simple open shelves or racks that you can put on your countertop and use them to store and display useful kitchen gadgets. This way you won’t have to hunt around in drawers and shelves when you need that stirrer or peeler.

 Curate a spice rack

Nepali cooking entails a hoard of spices. The typical steel spice box sometimes just doesn’t cut it since it only has enough space for the basics like salt, chili, turmeric, coriander, cumin and the like. There is a variety of spices that you need to stock up on if you want to bring out the flavors in your curries. From aromatic spices like cardamom and star anise to flavor spices like dry chili and bay leaves, it helps to have an arsenal of both crushed and whole spices. We suggest you buy identical glass jars, label them, and create a special spice drawer or rack. This way, you won’t have to hunt in different shelves and cupboards when you have your chef’s hat on. Trust us, this makes cooking simpler and faster.

Stock your pantry

Buy your grains and staples in bulk and stock your pantry. Wash what needs to be washed like your whole spices, grind what you have to, and sift through the grains and flours. Do this all in one go so that you don’t have to do them time and again. If you want to, you can set aside a specific day of the week or even choose one day in two weeks, depending on how much ration you need. Store everything in clear jars and containers so you know exactly what you have and what you are running low on. If you have staples on hand, you can easily decide what to make for lunch and dinner and won’t have to run to the store to buy some when you need them. We suggest always having some eggs and beans in your pantry. You can whip up easy yet delicious meals with these basic ingredients when you are feeling lazy or running low on time.

The government has paved the legal way for the implementation of interest rate subsidy programs for micro, cottage and small enterprises, and medium-scale enterprises having a fixed capital of up to Rs 200m.

The government recently introduced a work procedure for the implementation of the Prime Minister’s Nepali Production and Consumption Enhancement Program, which was introduced through the budget for the fiscal year 2023/24.

According to the procedure, production-based, agriculture and forest-based small and cottage industries, and medium-scale industries with a fixed capital of up to Rs 200m will receive interest subsidies on business loans taken for producing or processing goods.

The government brought the program through the budget speech with the aim of promoting domestic production and consumption. “Micro, cottage, small and medium industries consuming domestic raw materials will be supported for processing, technology upgradation, as well as storage and marketing,” the budget for the fiscal year 2023/24 states.

According to the officials of the Ministry of Industry, Commerce and Supplies, Rs 500m has been allocated for the interest subsidy program in the current fiscal year. As per the working procedure, 60 percent of the budget will be used to provide interest subsidies, while the remaining 40 percent will be used for technology transfer to production-based, agriculture and forest-based micro, small and cottage industries as well as medium-scale industries with a fixed capital of up to Rs 200m through respective local units.

As per the working procedure, micro, cottage, small and medium-scale industries will receive a five percent interest subsidy. However, industries operated solely by women will get a six percent interest subsidy.

The government will select the eligible companies by setting specified standards. As per the work procedure, a program implementation unit at the ministry will seek applications from industry units by publishing a 21-day notice. Firms that have not enjoyed interest-subsidy programs from other agencies and have not been blacklisted by state agencies can apply for the interest-subsidy scheme. An evaluation committee headed by the chief of the unit will study the applications and recommend firms for the interest-subsidy.

Officials say the beneficiaries will be selected based on criteria like production capacity in the previous year, the number of employment generated, the percentage of local raw materials used, the percentage of exports, business continuity, and environmental impact mitigation measures adopted.

According to the ministry, 50 percent of the beneficiaries will be micro and cottage industries, while 35 percent should be small enterprises. Likewise, 15 percent of the beneficiaries should be medium-scale industries. The selected enterprises will have to sign an agreement within 15 days of selection.

Among the selected proposals, the industry receiving the highest score above 50 percent will be provided with this subsidy.

The subsidy amount will be deposited in the applicant’s bank account. For technology transfer, local units themselves will procure equipment for the selected firms.

Industries producing daily consumable goods based on domestic raw materials, industries processing and producing primary agricultural products (milk, vegetables, fruits, fish, meat, and grains), industries processing tea, coffee and spices, industries producing organic and biological fertilizers, industries processing herbs and producing Ayurvedic medicines, among others, are eligible for the program.

“I believe that our main purpose in life is to leave the world a better place than we found it”

Wendy Shew, from California, US, is the driving force behind Building Education, a non-profit striving to transform lives through education. Inspired by her volunteer work in India and moved by the devastation of the earthquakes of 2015, Shew founded Building Education in 2017 with a vision of providing safe schools and equal opportunities for children worldwide. Beyond her philanthropic endeavors, she is an ultramarathon runner, trekker, and a fashion enthusiast, embodying resilience and compassion in all her pursuits. Nesum Limbu from ApEx talked to Shew about her organization and her projects in Nepal. Excerpts: 

What is the inspiration behind Building Education?

At the age of eight, seeing my mother’s battle with lung cancer instilled in me a profound understanding of mortality and the significance of living a purposeful life. This awareness later drove me to embark on a six-year journey across Asia, Europe, and Africa, where I volunteered extensively. Seeing some of the world’s most impoverished communities, I recognized the transformative power of education. Volunteering at an orphanage in India, I witnessed firsthand how access to education offered marginalized girls a pathway to a better future. Education, I realized, not only empowers individuals but also breaks the cycle of generational poverty, impacting lives for generations to come. This realization propelled me to advocate for education as a fundamental tool for societal transformation, echoing the profound impact it had on my own life.

What are the core values and mission of Building Education?

Building Education’s Mission serves to build safe schools in developing countries to end the cycle of extreme poverty. In collaboration with the local government, schools, and partner organizations, we aim to transform rural villages into prosperous, dignified communities. We believe in a world where every child has an equal opportunity to education.

The first initiative of Building Education took place in a Nepali slum where poverty and death rates were extremely high. Establishing a school was our first move in offering young people a safe haven. Understanding the importance of education, we promoted electricity as a means of increasing access to information and technology. Three years of immersive engagement taught us profound lessons in combating generational poverty, from funding missteps to witnessing transformative change.

Over four years, the metamorphosis of this community was palpable, as children once marginalized in slums became articulate, aspirational individuals. This illuminated the reciprocal nature of education, where growth transcends academics, nurturing dreams, and empowering communities. Upon completing our inaugural village project, the realization dawned that our model could be replicated, prompting us to envision broader impact across Nepal.

How were you drawn to Nepal as a focus area for your work in education?

In October 2014, I was in India and I heard Nepal being described as ‘heaven’ by the locals, prompting a spontaneous decision to make my journey there as a solo traveler. Knowing nothing about Nepal and with no prior research, I was taken aback upon arrival by the striking resemblance of the people to myself, feeling a familial connection with a taxi driver. One memorable instance was when, in a rush to visit Pashupatinath, I found myself without the address of my hostel, leading to a two-hour taxi ride with a non-English-speaking driver until I stumbled upon my destination, profoundly grateful for the assistance of the Nepali people in my time of need.

Despite warnings from others, I felt compelled to reciprocate the kindness I had received when disaster struck Nepal in April 2015, prompting me to seek out volunteering opportunities online. Discovering All Hands & Hearts, an organization directly involved in disaster relief, I promptly signed up and booked a flight to Nepal. Upon arrival, I immersed myself in various volunteer tasks, including clearing rubble, constructing temporary schools and homes, and aiding in displacement camps. All this would later go on to become groundwork for starting Building Education.

Can you tell us about the challenges faced by children in accessing education in rural communities? How does Building Education aim to address them?

Building Education’s projects are focused on uplifting the most disadvantaged and marginalized communities in Nepal, including the Chepang community, an indigenous group with a history of nomadic living in the Himalayan region. In these communities, only one percent of females are literate, with boys starting farming at the age of seven and girls being married off at 14, often facing early motherhood and severe food scarcity.

Last year, our journey to Karnali Province took us to Jumla and Mugu District, where we faced arduous travel, including a 60+ hour drive followed by a five-hour hike to reach Karnali Secondary School. Along the way, encounters with locals struggling with basic math underscored the consequences of educational deprivation. When we arrived at the school, we saw dilapidated structures with a lack of basic amenities like drinking water.

Building Education’s ‘School of Life’ model tackles multidimensional poverty by rebuilding safe facilities, installing water systems, providing energy, and introducing hydroponics for food. By collaborating with local municipalities, we want to ensure access to quality education and infrastructure development, empowering communities in Nepal’s Far West to overcome the challenges they face.

What has Building Education done to improve the quality of education in rural schools and communities?

When building our fourth school, Boomerang Primary School in Dhading, we expanded a five-classroom school into eight classrooms. That way, the school could facilitate one more grade. We provided brand new desks as the students were sitting on the floor to study. We built a playground. We installed a water harvesting tank so that children could have access to drinking water. We partnered with the local municipality to provide additional, better-quality teachers to support the school. They built the road so we could transport materials, and they installed grid electricity in the area.

Remarkably, our support enabled the first university graduate in her family—a girl in pharmaceutical studies—ushering in transformative change for future generations.

What are your future plans and aspirations for Building Education? What are your hopes for the future of the education system in Nepal?

We are currently searching for two different kinds of partner organizations: one that can support teacher training and school management, and the other that can offer curriculum or school learning sessions that let students learn actively and experientially, particularly in order to become engineers and acquire the necessary technical and technological skills.

We hope to make a greater impact in Nepal and reach our goals of 1,000 schools and 1,000,000 lives no matter how long it takes. We are headed to Jajarkot since there was an earthquake there recently. We want to find out what kind of support is needed and what sort of additional infrastructural support is needed in schools that are already there.

Prime Minister Pushpa Kamal Dahal on Monday secured a vote of confidence at the House of Representatives yet again—his fourth trust vote since assuming office on 26 Dec 2022—even as the main opposition party, the Nepali Congress, continued with its strident protest demanding a parliamentary investigation into Deputy Prime Minister and Home Minister Rabi Lamichhane’s alleged involvement in a cooperative fraud. 

The development comes days after a vertical split in the Janata Samajbadi Party-Nepal (JSPN), the resignation of JSPN Chair Upendra Yadav as Deputy Prime Minister and Health Minister Upendra Yadav and Minister of State for Health Deepak Karki, and emergence of the breakaway faction, JSP, as a partner in the Dahal-led coalition government.          

At the day’s second meeting of the lower chamber of the Federal Parliament, Prime Minister Dahal sought a trust vote after getting a go-ahead from Speaker Devraj Ghimire, amidst a loud protest from Congress lawmakers, who shouted slogans against the procedures to present PM Dahal’s proposal to obtain the trust vote and picketed the well. Expressing solidarity with the Congress, lawmakers from other opposition parties stood from their seats during the proceedings.

Despite the opposition bench’s show of strength, the Dahal-led coalition government passed yet another crucial floor test as Speaker Ghimire announced that 157 out of 158 lawmakers in the 275-member HoR, who took part in the vote of confidence procedures, voted for the government while one chose to remain neutral.

The major opposition has been obstructing parliamentary proceedings, demanding the establishment of a parliamentary committee to impartially investigate the alleged involvement of Deputy Prime Minister Lamichhane in the misappropriation of cooperative funds.

Meanwhile, Prime Minister Dahal, responding to questions related to the trust vote later in the day, accused the main opposition party of demonstrating unparliamentary behavior by not creating a conducive environment for a Prime Minister to seek a vote of confidence in line with the Constitution. 

“You supported me as the prime minister in the past, but today you tried to obstruct the House and prevent me from seeking a vote of confidence. This incident will go down as a blot in parliamentary history,” PM Dahal said, referring to the Congress. 

He thanked the CPN-UML and other parties and parliamentarians, who voted for his government. 

UML Vice-chair Bishnu Prasad Poudel, who  seconded PM Dahal’s proposal seeking a trust vote for his government in accordance with Article 100 (2) of the Constitution of Nepal, requested the Congress to uphold democratic norms and values by ending the deadlock in the parliament. 

“I request all the parties to support the government to speed up national development by contributing to political stability. I call upon the Nepali Congress in particular to reconsider its role and follow democratic practices in the parliament,” Poudel said. 

Dahal’s tryst with trust vote

1. 10 Jan 2023: PM Dahal won 268 votes in the floor test, while 2 votes went against him

2. 20 March 2023: After the CPN-UML withdrew support to his government, Dahal underwent yet another floor test, securing 172 in favor of and 89 votes against his government

3. 4 March 2024: After the Congress withdrew support, PM Dahal again joined hands with the CPN-UML and other parties on March 4, securing 157 votes in favor of his government

4. 20 May 2024: After a vertical split in Janata Samajbadi Party-Nepal and the formation of JSP under Ashok Rai, PM Dahal underwent the floor test yet again, securing 157 votes in favor of his government

The main opposition Nepali Congress has expressed dissatisfaction over the role of Speaker Devraj Ghimire, accusing him of being biased.

Determining that the role of Speaker Ghimire in today's meeting of the House of Representatives was not compatible with his position, a meeting of the NC Parliamentary Party held today raised questions over it.

The party questioned the role of the Speaker, saying the Speaker forwarded the agenda of the Parliament meeting amidst the protest and sloganeering of the opposition party. "A situation where a person in the position of the Speaker of the Parliament is used as a party member undermines the parliamentary norms and values. So, this meeting draws the serious attention of the Speaker to carry out activities in order to protect the parliamentary norms and values' ', reads the decision.

The NC Parliamentary Party meeting blamed the Speaker for forwarding the proposal related to a vote of confidence of the Prime Minister amidst protests and sloganeering of the opposition party and not allowing NC lawmakers to put forth their views. 

At a news conference organized to inform about the meeting of the NC Parliamentary Party, Chief Whip Ramesh Lekhak said the Speaker should not behave like a party cadre.  The meeting drew the conclusion that the Parliament meeting should not be run by ignoring the democratic and parliamentary norms and values.

Chief Whip Lekhak mentioned that instead of forming a parliamentary probe committee as per the demand of the opposition parties, it was not appropriate to complete the process of taking a vote of confidence even after having enough time for the same.

All opposition parties in the Parliament including the NC have been demanding formation of a parliamentary probe committee to ensure free and impartial investigation on embezzlement of cooperative funds.

Two persons died and 21 others were injured in a bus accident in Surkhet today.

The deceased have been identified as Sher Bahadur Khadka (65) from Dullu Municipality-10 in Dailekh and currently residing in Thakurbaba Municipality-5 in Bardiya and Bhimsen Rana of Dungeshwor Rural Municipality-6 in Dailekh, according to Spokesperson for the District Police Office, Surkhet, Deputy Superintendent of Police Birendra Bir Bishwakarma.

The bus (Karnali Province 02001 Kha 0852) heading towards Surkhet from Dailekh fell off the road and got stuck in a tree near Katkuwa of Birendranagar Municipality-7.

Among the injured, one is said to be in critical condition while others are out of life-threatening conditions.

The injured are being treated at the Karnali Province Hospital, Surkhet, and Birendranagar-based health facilities.

The accident could have resulted in more fatalities if the vehicle had not got stuck into the tree.

The accident occurred due to over-speed, according to the police preliminary investigation.  

The Government of Nepal expressed grief over the death of President of Iran, Dr Ebrahim Raisi in a helicopter crash on Sunday.

"We are deeply saddened to know about the passing away of His Excellency Dr. Seyyed Ebrahim Raisi, President, and His Excellency Dr. Hossein Amir Abdollahian, Minister of Foreign Affairs, of the Islamic Republic of Iran in the helicopter crash yesterday," the Ministry of Foreign Affairs posted on the social platform, X, today.

The Ministry also extended heartfelt condolences to the bereaved family members, and the government and people of Iran.