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Foreign Minister Arzu Rana Deuba has said that her recent official visit to India has played a significant role towards contributing to enhance the mutual goodwill as well as to the promotion of cooperation and collaboration between the two countries.

Minister Rana was briefing about her India visit in a meeting of the Parliament's International Relations and Tourism Committee held at Singha Durbar today. She expressed the confidence that the visit contributed to further strengthening the friendly, cooperative, multi-faceted and close relations subsisting between the two countries on the basis of mutual equality and benefit.

Apart from this, the visit also provided a guideline to expand contact at high level and various levels as well as to promote cooperation and collaboration for mutual benefit through the bilateral mechanism also.

Responding to lawmakers' queries, the Minister for Foreign Affairs stated that the Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi has given a positive response to an invitation for him to visit Nepal. Stating that she had undertaken an official visit to India from August 18-22 and on the occasion also paid a courtesy call on the Indian Prime Minister.

"On behalf of Prime Minister KP Sharma Oli, I conveyed warm greetings and best wishes to the Indian Prime Minister and also formally handed to him an invitation that PM Oli had extended to him for a state visit to Nepal," she said, adding that the Indian PM happily acknowledged the invitation and gave a positive response for a visit to Nepal.

Minister for Foreign Affairs Rana had visited India at the invitation of Minister for External Affairs of India, S Jaishankar. She held a courtesy meeting with the Indian PM in New Delhi on August 19.

According to her, on the occasion discussions were held on further consolidating the friendly ties subsisting between Nepal and India and on expanding the existing collaboration on matters of mutual benefit.

Foreign Minister Rana said the bilateral meeting she had with her Indian counterpart at Hyderabad House in New Delhi earlier the same day remained significant. On the occasion, the two Foreign Ministers had discussed expanding cooperation in trade and transit, increasing the quantity of electricity exported to India from Nepal, extending the cross-border connectivity and promoting Indian investment in Nepal.

Also, she said that talks were held to take forward necessary discussions for granting more air routes to Nepal, for mobilization of related mechanisms for resolving the problems of flooding and inundation and taking ahead the Pancheshwar Multi-purpose Project on priority basis.

Foreign Minister Rana said talks were held on overall topics of Nepal-India relations, including cooperation in sports sector, capacity enhancement of sportspersons and construction of a cricket stadium at Phapla of Dhangadhi as well as on construction and expansion of border infrastructures.

It is stated that besides this agreement was reached on giving continuity to contacts at various levels on several topics through the existing bilateral mechanism.

The Foreign Affairs Minister said that she specifically brought up the topic of air route and an agreement has been reached in principle for the technical committee to hold the necessary discussions on this matter.

Noting that the government has been conducting the country's international relations and diplomacy as per Nepal's foreign policy focusing on protecting and promoting the national interest, she asserted that Nepal is being represented in the international forums ensuring Nepal's interest as specified by the Constitution and the foreign policy.

Minister Rana reiterated that the present government is committed to mobilizing Nepal's foreign-based diplomatic missions, the mission chiefs taking the supreme interest of the nation into account. 

She assured that this government shall make maximum efforts to make the appointment of ambassadors more systematized, dignified, transparent and capacity and performance-based on the main basis of the spirit of the constitution and the guidelines on appointment of ambassadors.

Foreign Minister Rana stated that the policy of appointing at least 50 per cent ambassadors from the Foreign Service has been continued this time as well for maintaining balance between political appointment and appointment from the career diplomats.

She also informed the Committee that preparations were being made for signing four important agreements with Oman on tourism, health, labor and foreign affairs.

The Nepal Stock Exchange (NEPSE) gained 6.94 points to close at 2,830.20 points on Tuesday.

Similarly, the sensitive index surged by 1.20 points to close at 505. 03 points.

A total of 30,599,890-unit shares of 328 companies were traded for Rs 13. 57 billion.

Meanwhile, NLG Insurance Company Ltd. (NLG), Sindhu Bikash Bank Ltd (SINDU), Matribhumi Lagubitta Bittiya Sanstha Limited (MATRI), Green Development Bank Ltd. (GRDBL) and Wean Nepal Laghubitta Bittiya Sanstha Limited (WNLB) were the top gainers today, with their price surging by 10. 00 percent.

Likewise, Himalayan Power Partner Ltd. (HPPL) was the top loser as its price fell by 8.86 percent.

At the end of the day, total market capitalization stood at Rs 4. 49 trillion.

Prime Minister KP Sharma Oli has asserted that the national aspiration of 'Prosperous Nepal, Happy Nepali' would be fulfilled by embracing the fundamental rights enshrined in the Constitution and the national and international commitments on human rights. 

Inaugurating the three-day international conference of human rights institutions of Asia and Pacific region on gender inclusiveness organized by the National Human Rights Commission today, PM Oli pointed out that the Constitution of Nepal has enshrined many issues of fundamental rights and the government is committed to abide by that in letter and spirit.

He made it clear that the caste system has been abolished through law. Stating that the Parliament had guaranteed at least 33 percent women participation in all the bodies of the three tiers of the State before the drafting of the Constitution, the PM described it as an important achievement. 

Prime Minister Oli also presented the instance in which the nation had got the first woman President, the Chief Justice, the Speaker of the House of Representatives and the Chief Secretary, adding that necessary facilitation is done in increasing the women participation in all the State bodies.

He viewed that 20 percent of the citizens in Nepal are still under the absolute poverty line and it would not be possible to empower all the citizens unless fulfilling the poverty alleviation goal. 

"We will fully implement the letter and spirit of the fundamental rights mentioned in the constitution. We are committed to the execution of international commitments and agreements. We will abolish poverty from Nepal. We will fulfill the goal of Prosperous Nepal, Happy Nepali," PM Oli reiterated.

He shared on the occasion that the government and the Human Rights Commission were working in tandem for achieving the common goal of social justice and equality, as the people could not be made happy until the country is made prosperous.

"Only prosperity does not work for the country's development. The people should be able to experience a dignified life along with peace, safety and rights. The government is working for that," Prime Minister Oli said.

Home Minister Ramesh Lekhak has said that the first and second largest parties of the country normally do not join hands to form a coalition government. 

At a news conference organized by Press Union Kailali at Dhangadhi Airport today, Home Minister Lekhak mentioned that the CPN-UML and Nepali Congress have formed a government together during a special situation.

He shared, "Generally in parliamentary practice, the first and second largest parties of the country do not form a government together. We form the government during the special situation."

In the history, the country has achieved promising results when the both parties headed together, underlined the Home Minister, adding, "If there were important agendas in the country, we had jointly addressed the important agendas of the country." 

Stating that a stable equation had to be created for a stable government, Home Minister Lekhak stressed that the new equation was formed to make the economy dynamic, to establish good governance, to accelerate development construction activities and to establish rule of law in the country.

"We two parties jointly made the Constitution. The NC brought communists together to fight against the Panchayat system and multi-party democracy was established. The two parties stand together to transform the 10-year armed conflict into peace," added the Home Minister. 

The Ministry of Health and Population has dispatched a circular, directing 34 hospitals and health facilities to operate the Out-Patient Department (OPD) services also on public holidays.

Ministry spokesperson Dr Prakash Budhathoki confirmed that the Ministry has sent a circular to these hospitals, urging them to operate the OPD services on public holidays as well. 

The Office of the Prime Minister and Council of Ministers, some days back, sent a letter to the Ministry of Health and Population, asking it to ensure that the hospitals provide all services including the OPD services on public holidays.

According to Dr Budhathoki, the circular to this effect has been sent to the Bir Hospital, the Paropakar Maternity and Women's Hospital, the Bheri Hospital, the National tuberculosis Centre, the Koshi Hospital, the Nepal Eye Hospital, the Kanti Children's Hospital, the Sahid Gangalal National Heart Centre, the Rapti Academy of Health Sciences, the Patan Academy of Health Sciences, among others.

A special provision on public service delivery cited in a notice published in the Nepal Gazettee by the Ministry of Home Affairs states that the hospitals have to provide all categories of services including the OPD service even on public holidays.

The government issued this directive based on the public complaint that most of the hospitals and health facilities were not found delivering all types of health services on public holidays.

In the fiscal year 2022/23, banks and financial institutions invested Rs 159.21bn in vehicle loans (hire purchase), marking a 1.31 percent annual increase. However, in the fiscal year 2023/24, hire purchase loans saw a sharp decline of 22.05 percent, dropping to approximately Rs 124.1bn—a decrease of around Rs 35.1bn from the previous year. Bankers attribute this decline to the sluggish economy in the last fiscal year.

Despite this, banks report an increase in hire purchase loans this year, driven by the growing preference for electric vehicles (EVs). According to Abhash Paneru, Retail Lending Relationship Manager at Sanima Bank, confusion over whether to purchase fuel-powered (ICE) or electric vehicles contributed to the decline in loans last year. Paneru noted that banks have since introduced competitive interest rates for EV loans, offering a 7-year fixed rate of 8.49 percent, with a slight premium added to the base rate for hire purchase loans. He emphasized that loan processing is straightforward, taking about a week once required documents, such as income and tax statements, are submitted.

Interest rates for vehicle loans are fixed for 5, 7, and 10 years across different banks, ranging from a minimum of 7.54 percent to a maximum of 12.50 percent in commercial banks. Development banks offer interest rates from 8.1 percent to 16.47 percent, while finance companies provide loans at rates between 9.98 percent and 17.74 percent. With interest rates falling to single digits and the NADA Auto Show currently underway, there is a favorable opportunity for customers to purchase vehicles on installment plans.

As festivals approach, consumer spending typically increases, and this trend is expected to boost overall vehicle loans. According to Bibek KC, Business Development Officer of Nabil Bank’s Retail Lending Unit, many people are attracted to electric vehicles due to the higher loan facilities provided by banks under Nepal Rastra Bank's guidelines. He noted that the share of EVs in overall auto loans has increased, prompting banks to focus on this segment over the past two years.

Santoshi Shahi, Relationship Manager of Global IME Bank’s SME and Retail Promotion Unit, added that EVs are more attractive due to the financing arrangements offered by the Central Bank and the low-interest rates on hire purchase loans for EVs. Speaking to Annapurna, she mentioned that her bank has set competitive interest rates on Green Drive EV loans at the NADA Auto Show.

According to Nepal Rastra Bank, loans can cover up to 80 percent of an EV’s value and up to 50 percent of a fuel vehicle’s value through banks and financial institutions.

A hire purchase loan is a loan granted to individuals, firms, companies, or organizations for the purchase of vehicles, machinery, tools, or equipment for agricultural, industrial, commercial, or private purposes, with ownership transferred after the full installment is paid. Although hire purchase loans can apply to any movable goods, they are most commonly used for vehicles. Banks and financial institutions offer these loans, and Omni Pvt Ltd was the first company to receive approval from the Central Bank on April 27, 2014, to operate as a hire purchase lender.

The Transport Management Office, Birgunj collected more than Rs 1.5 billion in revenue in the last fiscal year, 2023/24.

Compared to the previous fiscal year, 2022/23, the revenue collection upped by Rs 171.9 million.

Chief of Transport Management Office, Birgunj, Kamal Raj Gautam, informed that the last year's revenue collection was encouraging. The Office was able to collect Rs 1.35 billion in revenue in the fiscal year, 2022/23.

He said that Rs 1.19 billion was collected under the category of vehicles alone, while vehicle permits generated Rs 150 million.

A total of 2,229 vehicles as bus and truck, and the machineries combined were registered in the fiscal year, 2080/81BS. In the same period, as many as 645 vehicles like cars, jeep, microbus and ambulances were registered in the office.

The number of motorcycles and scooters getting registered last year stood at 747.

In total, the last fiscal year had registration of 38,456 new vehicles.

A light earthquake hit Sindhupalchowk district on Tuesday.

According to the National Seismological Center (NSC), an earthquake measuring 4.2 on the Richer scale jolted the district at 6:11 am with its epicenter near Shikharpur of the district.