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The 111th birth anniversary of BP Koirala, the first elected Prime Minister of Nepal, is being celebrated by organizing a variety of events across the country today.

Koirala was born on Bhadra 24, 1971 BS. He led the establishment of Nepali National Congress in 2003 BS during his exile in India to end the then autocratic Rana regime. This played an important role in the establishment of democracy in 2007 BS.

While in exile in India, BP participated in India's freedom struggle and was active in it with a vision that after the independence of India it would be easy to establish democracy in Nepal.

After the success of the 2007 revolution, BP became the Home Minister in the Rana-Congress government led by Mohan Shumsher. Koirala then became the first elected Prime Minister after the Congress won a two-thirds majority in the 2015 general elections. During his premiership, he abolished the land tenure system and introduced progressive land reforms with the notion that the land should belong to the tiller.

However, on Poush 1, 2017 BS, the popularly elected government was overthrown by the then King, putting Koirala and other leaders in jail.

Koirala was released from prison for medical treatment in 2025 and then lived in exile in India for eight years. He returned to Nepal with the policy of national unity and reconciliation on 16 Poush 2033 BS. His policy led to a referendum on the choice between multi-party system or reformed Panchayat system three years later. However, the democrats lost amidst allegations of rampant fraud by the then ruling side. BP however accepted the referendum results. He passed away on Saun 6, 2039 BS due to throat cancer.

Apart from his contribution to the field of politics, BP Koirala is also a very popular figure in the field of Nepali literature. He has more than 18 creations to his credit, including novels like the very popular 'Tin Ghumti', 'Modi Ain', 'Hitler and Jew', and 'Sumnima'. Similarly, he has two collections of stories 'Shwet Bhairavi' and 'Doshi Chashma'.

The Sundarijal Prison, where the Prime Minister, Speaker of the Parliament and Ministers of the first elected government were imprisoned, is now serving as a BP museum. The museum has various collections depicting the life and contributions of the late leader.

Meanwhile, on the occasion of BP Jayanti, the Nepali Congress, its sister and well-wishing organizations and the BP Museum are scheduled to host a variety of programs to commemorate the life and contributions of late BP Koirala.

Imagine you are standing in the supermarket pondering the choice between two brands of biscuits. In any case, this shouldn’t be a big problem because you’ll choose the one that tastes best, or if you want to be economical, you’ll choose the one that is less expensive. But inside this seemingly inconsequential choice lies a lattice of intricate neural processes that neuroeconomics—the field of intersection of neuroscience, economics, and psychology—has been working to unravel.

For more than decades, human choices were thought to be solely influenced by self-interest, curiosity, and the desire to maximize benefit, as explained by traditional theory of economics. In another way, it was inferred that human beings are rational; it is anything but. Today, the field of neuroeconomics is emerging to explain how the brain responds to decision-making and how that mechanism occurs. How can the two completely different fields—Neuroscience and Economics—intersect, and what does that intersecting point imply? This article tries to explain this phenomenon.

What happens in the brain when we try to make a decision?

Understanding the structure and function of the brain is one of the most perplexing yet intriguing aspects of modern science. While most people know the general functions of the brain: memory, balance, perceptions, emotions, personality, and so on, very few people understand how the decision-making process happens in the brain, ranging from simpler customer choices to stupendous financial investments. The emergence of tools such as electroencephalography (EEG), magnetoencephalography (MEG), magnetic resonance imaging (MRI), positron emission tomography (PET), and functional near-infrared spectroscopy (fNIRS) provides crucial information about what happens in the brain when we make decisions. The discovery of the brain’s reward system props up our understanding along with these tools. Studies have found that the parts of the brain—the ventromedial prefrontal cortex (vmPFC) and the striatum—play crucial roles in decision-making. When making decisions, the ventromedial prefrontal cortex (vmPFC) helps evaluate and integrate various factors, such as costs and benefits. The striatum signals the brain’s expectation of reward, influencing whether we perceive the choice as satisfying or not. The perfect balance between these organs is what decision-making is about.

What drives us to make choices that align with our best interests, and why do we sometimes make decisions that go against them?

There is one famous theory behind its science called ‘reward error prediction theory’, which explains how the brain reacts when our expectations fall short or when our expectations exceed. It says that if we expected the profit from the investment, but unfortunately if we didn’t get it, the brain sends the negative signal. Conversely, when we receive a reward, i.e., our expectations meet or exceed, the brain releases a large amount of dopamine—a neurotransmitter linked with pleasure and reward—motivating us to make riskier or emotionally attacked decisions, such as buying luxury items despite having little money or chasing a stock market on high stakes.

What role do emotions play in decision-making?

Traditional economic theories treated the emotions as unwanted distractions; however, the emergence of neuroeconomics says that emotions play a huge role in the decision-making process. There is a peanut-sized organ called the amygdala on our brain whose functions are 100 times superior to its size, as it is the major processing center of emotions. For example, if you fear loss, the amygdala is triggered, and it stops you from making risky decisions. In one of the neuroeconomic studies, the participants were given the option of choosing between guaranteed small payouts and unguaranteed large payouts. Brain scans revealed that when participants chose guaranteed payouts, amygdala was more active. This explains the extent to which emotions play a role in decision-making, which looks miniscule but is, in reality, a much more complex phenomenon.

Why is the knowledge of neuroeconomics important among Nepali people and leaders?

Though not a single university in Nepal has neuroeconomics as their education program, it is fundamental to understand the concept of neuroeconomics in the context of Nepal. It is quite straightforward that many Nepalese people prioritize short-term benefits over long-term investments, like education and entrepreneurship. Understanding neuroeconomics can explain why people prioritize short-term benefits. In addition to this, Nepal has a plethora of breathtakingly rural parts, particularly in the midwestern and hilly areas. In such areas, decision-making is heavily influenced by traditions, social cohesion, and emotions; expanding the concept of neuroeconomics can increase the financial literacy among such groups of people. Today, the trend of involvement in the financial stock market is increasing among Nepali people. The neuroeconomics can explain why some people take unnecessary risks and why some people don’t. It can also explain why many Nepalese leaders are emotionally driven in implementing large financial-based projects and how it has affected the country’s economy.

Although neuroeconomics is still a young study, it has contributed much to economic theory and psychology. By expanding the knowledge of neural mechanisms on decision-making, simple or complex, it has explained behavioral choices, investment ideas, and financial-based policy. From cognitive biases to error prediction theory, and from the brain reward system to the amygdala's role on emotions, neuroeconomics offers new insights in the fields of cognitive science, psychology, and economics, which in the near future could explain everything from public policy to international relations. As a country navigating through economic disparities and financial illiteracy, neuroeconomics can certainly increase the financial literacy at the individual and national level and can also help the government make more rational policy. 

Ashish Banjara

St Xavier’s College, Maitighar

The construction of the Chilime-Trishuli 220 kV transmission line has reached the final phase of completion.

This transmission line is considered as important in feeding the electricity generated from the under-construction and to be constructed hydroelectricity projects being developed along the Trishuli river corridor and its tributaries to the national grid.

Final phase works are in progress for the construction of the 28 kilometers transmission line from Chilime Hub Substation at Thambuchet of Aama Chhodingmo Rural Municipality in Rasuwa to the Trishuli Three B Hub Substation at Pahirebensi of Kispang Rural Municipality in Nuwakot district.

Works are progressing to complete the construction and bring the transmission line into operation before the Dashain festival.

The construction of the 220/132/33 kV Chilime Hub and Trishuli Three B Hub substations under the Chilime-Trishuli 220 kV Transmission Line Project has been completed. Seventy-five of the 76 towers of the transmission line have been constructed and works on installing the remaining tower have reached the final stage.

Installation of power cable remains only in the five kilometers of the total 28 kilometers transmission line. Two hundred workers are employed for installing the tower and the power cables.

A high-level team of Nepal Electricity Authority (NEA), including Executive Director Kulman Ghising and Deputy Executive Director of the Transmission Directorate, Dirghayu Kumar Shrestha, carried out a field-level monitoring of the construction on Saturday.

The high-level team has fixed the deadline for the construction well before the Dashain festival (October 12, 2024).

The NEA high-level team held discussions with the Project management, consultant and the contractor company and urged them not to allow any delay in the construction works, expedite the construction by adding workers and to carry out works by preparing a timetable for accomplishing the remaining works within the deadline.

The team also inspected the site where works are in progress for installing the last remaining tower and the power cables.

The electricity produced from the 110 MW Rasuwagadhi and 42.5 MW Sanjen hydroelectricity projects developed at the initiatives of Chilime Hydroelectricity Company, a subsidiary company of NEA, would be fed to this transmission line.

Construction of both projects is over and they are in the phase of production.

The NEA is under pressure to complete the transmission line construction at the earliest due to this reason as well.

CPN (Maoist Center) Chairman and former Prime Minister Pushpa Kamal Dahal has said that the party is not against the Constitution amendment.

Talking to the media at Biratnagar airport today, the leader said, "However any attempts to shrink the rights of the citizens and dismiss the achievements in the name of the Constitution amendment shall not be tolerable for the CPN (Maoist Center)."

He announced that it would not be accepted by the party if any efforts were made to withdraw the provision of proportional representation and inclusion aiming to uplift the suppressed, marginalized and disadvantaged communities. 

The Maoist 'people's war' led to the establishment of the rights of Madhesi, Dalits, Muslims, indigenous and nationalities, he added.

The erstwhile Prime Minister claimed that the party had to exit from power as it initiated a process to take action against corruption and middle persons. "Now, the party has an opportunity to expand its organization, strengthen and rebuild itself."

As the leader of the major opposition, he warned the government not to perform against the interests of the nation and the citizens.

A couple went missing after a landslide buried their house at Dhuma in Barekot Rural Municipality-6, Jajarkot on Sunday.

Prem Kumari, a ward member of the rural municipality, and her husband Man Bahadur Chalune were buried in the landslide at around 2 am today.

Their 11-year-old daughter was rescued in an injured condition.

She has been taken to a local hospital in Limsa.

Police with the help of locals are searching for the missing couple, it has been learnt.

The price of gold has dropped by Rs 1,200 per tola in the domestic market on Sunday.

According to the Federation of Nepal Gold and Silver Dealers' Association, the yellow metal is being traded at Rs 152,100 per tola today. It was traded at Rs 153, 300 per tola on Friday.

Similarly, the price of silver has dropped by Rs 45 and is being traded at Rs 1, 750 per tola.

Vehicular movement along the Karnali Highway has been obstructed due to landslides triggered by incessant rainfall.

The landslides occurred at Ismod and Gaganekhola in Shubhkalika Rural Municipality-1, Kalikot.

Efforts are being made to remove the debris and resume traffic, said information officer of the Road Division Office, Bir Bahadur GT.

The highway has been blocked several times this monsoon due to landslides in Gaganekhola.

Meanwhile, passengers traveling from Jumla, Kalikot and Mugu to Surkhet, Nepalgunj and Kathmandu remain stranded mid-way.

The second day of the third edition of the Kathmandu Kalinga Literary Festival (KLF) started at Hotel Himalaya in Lalitpur. The second day of the two-day event, themed “Nepal: The Gateway to Asian Art, Culture, and Literature,” was jointly inaugurated by Rob Fenn, British Ambassador to Nepal, Dr Rajendra Bimal, Dr Jagman Gurung, Prof Bina Poudel, Jatin Kumar Nayak, KLF Founder Rashmi Ranjan Parida, Kathmandu KLF Director Ranjana Niraula and Ashok Bal among others.

In his speech, Ambassador Fenn emphasized the significance of literature, stating that it plays a vital role in all aspects, including diplomacy, which he described as “a game of words.” He added, “I will be writing while I’m in Nepal, as it is impossible not to feel inspired here.” Representing the UK in Nepal is a dream, he noted.

Dr Gurung highlighted the deep connection between Nepal and India, referencing Kalinga, an Indian state where peace was established after violence. “World War III may be approaching, but those who seek war should take inspiration from Kalinga.” He further stressed the importance of the festival in promoting the shared culture, tradition, and literature of both India and Nepal.

During the inaugural session, Lakshmi Murdeshwar Puri, Sanjeev Sanyal, and Achyuta Samanta were honored with the Yashaswi Samman.

Also, during the inaugural session, the book ‘Vasudhaiva Kutumbakam: Biswo Rangamanchama Narendra Modi’ was launched. This collection features speeches by Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi delivered on international platforms. The content was compiled by Bhupendra Bahadur Chhetri and translated into Nepali by Sangar Chand.

The organizers also announced that the fourth edition of the Kathmandu Kalinga Literary Festival will be held on 13-14 Sept 2025.

On the second and final day of the festival, around 30 sessions will be held, including ‘Diaspora and The Craft of Writing and Literature’, ‘Mythilak Nari in Cultural Communication’, ‘Charting the Future if Civilizational Dialogue’, ‘Child Psychology in Children Literature’, ‘Gorkha Identity: Opportunities and Blues Panelists’, ‘Beauty with Brains and Social Responsibility’, ‘Gajapati: The King without Kingdom’, and ‘How does literature empower women’ among others.

On the first day, 27 sessions took place, including ‘Laws for Women: Differences Between the Constitution and Treatment’, ‘To the Moon and Back’, ‘Bridging Heritage: Cultural Synergies’, ‘Media, Literature, and Social Responsibility’, ‘Bridging Worlds: The Art of Publishing and Translation’, ‘The Role and Future of Literature in the Age of AI’, ‘Recent Developments in Literature Translations from Nepal’, ‘How Significant are Literature Festivals?’, and ‘Nepal Bhasa Script and Literature: Past and Present’, among others.