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The Ridi-Tamghas road section along the Madan Bhandari Highway is to remain closed for three weeks beginning today due to the road widening works.

The Highway Project Office issued a public notice urging everyone to use alternative routes during this period.

According to Office information officer, Er Sharmila Sharma, the road widening requires blasting of cliffs, widening, and grading procedures. As a result, the regular route is to be closed from 10 am to 4 pm and 10 pm to 4 am for the next three weeks.

A meeting chaired by Chief District Officer Krishna Prasad Sharma decided to close the 25-kilometre route earlier.

The Office suggests the following alternative routes: Panityanki-Thorga-Syalpokhari-Salbisauni-Ratamate route, Pipalneta-Digam-Ridi route, Lumchha-Dharampani-Digam-Ridi route, and Ghumti-Charpala-Khajryang-Ridi route for transportation during this period.

The Ministry of Labor, Employment, and Social Security has paved the legal way for Nepali recruitment agencies to send skilled Nepali workers to South Korea under the E-7 visa.

Until now, the government has been sending unskilled workers to South Korea under the Employment Permit System (EPS).

The ministry recently published a work procedure that permits registered manpower companies to send skilled workers to South Korea under the E-7 visa system. Such companies will also need to operate training facilities to provide language and skills training to workers. The procedure requires the companies to have their training center or lease an existing training center so that it can be used full time. Such centers should have at least two certified Korean language instructors.

Likewise, Nepali companies must sign an agreement with related Korean institutions/associations to bring demand for workers under the E-7 visa system. Such institutions must agree not to charge any fees from Nepali workers or Nepali licensed companies for these services.

If Korean employers themselves or language/skill training provider organizations want to come to Nepal to provide language and skill training, they must have their infrastructure or sign a contract with Korean language and specialized skill training centers in Nepal.

According to the procedure, Nepali workers wishing to go to South Korea for employment under the E-7 visa system must pass the Korean language test and occupational skill test conducted by an accredited institution or licensed institution recognized by the South Korean government. The licensed institution will have to provide details of Nepali workers, who have passed the language and skill test to the Department of Foreign Employment.

Likewise, the Nepali Embassy in Seoul should verify any demand for Nepali workers from South Korean companies within 15 days. The demand should clearly state wages and facilities of workers and work conditions, among other things. After the demand is verified by the embassy, it will have to be forwarded to the ministry for verification.

The work procedure states that if the Korean employers want the recruitment process to go through the government channel, the department responsible for looking at Korea will conduct the recruitment process. Likewise, it states that employers must bear costs like airfare, insurance, health examination, welfare fund contribution, social security fund contribution, and labor permit fee when sourcing workers form Nepal. 

Although the ministry has brought a work procedure to allow Nepali recruitment companies to send Nepali workers to South Korea, it has not made a separate agreement with South Korea for the recruitment of workers under the E-7 visa.

Meanwhile, the Department of Foreign Employment (DoFE) has formed a three-member team under Joint Secretary Govinda Rijal to study and make necessary recommendations for implementing the work procedure.

Nepali Congress has demanded formation of a parliamentary committee to investigate against Deputy Prime Minister and Home Minister Rabi Lamichhane in the cooperative fraud.

Speaking at a meeting of the House of Representatives, lawmaker Ramhari Khatiwada accused the government of being scared of forming a parliamentary committee.

He objected that the government, which could not form a parliamentary committee, had mentioned in its Common Minimum Program of forming various commissions.

“We heard the Common Minimum Program of the government. It has been mentioned that various commissions will be formed. What kind of commission will the government form when it expresses its reluctance to form a parliamentary committee of cooperative fraud,” he questioned.

He claimed that the Pushpa Kamal Dahal-led government has become unsuccessful in every sector.

One hundred and thirty-seven cottage and small industries have closed down in Kailali district due to the shortage of raw materials. Several of these industries have shut as they could not manage the operation cost while some because their productions could not compete with the market prices.

According to the Cottage and Small Industries Office, several of the industries closed after their proprietors left the country for foreign employment.

However, the registration of women-owned enterprises has notably increased in the district in recent years. This is due to the provision of concessions on the registration fees for women-owned industries.

So far 15,434 industries have been registered in Kailali and the registration of 137 of them has been annulled. Among the registered industries, 3,194 are production-based, 6488 agriculture-based, two construction, 65 tourism-related, 12 information technology related and 5,673 service-oriented industries.

These industries have an investment of Rs 25 billion, it is stated. The Sudurpaschim provincial government has allocated Rs 15 million for implementing the 'One Electoral Constituency, One Industry' programme in the current fiscal year.

The Office stated that 9,120 women and 69,611 men are employed in the registered industries. The Office collected revenues Rs 5 million 216 thousand in last fiscal year 2022/23 and Rs 10 million 500 thousand as of March 13, in the eight months of the current fiscal year 2023/24.

The gold is being traded at Rs 125, 200 per tola in the domestic market on Wednesday.

According to the Federation of Nepal Gold and Silver Dealers’ Association, tejabi gold is being traded at Rs 124, 600 per tola.

Meanwhile, the silver, however, has dropped by Rs 5 and is being traded at Rs 1,520 per tola today.   

The Ministry of Home Affairs has directed the district administration officers across the country to set up facilitation desks to promptly receive and address the complaints, petitions and grievances of usury victims.

Home Ministry's spokesperson Narayan Prasad Bhattarai informed that the directive was issued to establish facilitation desks in line with the four-point agreement signed on March 11 between the Ministry and the usury victims struggle committee.

The district administration offices have been directed to set up a facilitation desk to deal with the matter by assigning responsibility to the officer-level employees to immediately hear the complaints, petitions and grievances related to usury and make public the details of the employees deployed at the desk (name, post, email, contact number and other means of contact) on the website of the office.

Similarly, section officer at the Ministry of Home Affairs Chiranjivi GM has been appointed the contact person of the Ministry to coordinate with the DAOs and other agencies to address the complaints of the usury victims.

For complaints related to usury (improper transactions), one can contact mobile number: 9851360603 (viber, WhatsApp message), email: [email protected] and toll-free number 1112. 

Prime Minister Pushpa Kamal Dahal has vowed not to compromise with anyone to establish and uphold good governance. Responding to the concerns raised by lawmakers in Tuesday’s House of Representatives (HoR) meeting, Dahal said anyone found involved in any wrongdoing will not be spared. “Nothing will prevent the government from taking action against the individuals found guilty of wrongdoing,” he said. 

The prime minister said that his government has resolved to promote good governance by investigating large corruption scams, gold smuggling incidents and public land grabbing cases, among other crimes. “The government will scale up its moves against such illicit activities,” he added.

On the queries raised by the opposition lawmakers regarding the appointment of Rastriya Swatantra Party (RSP) Chair Rabi Lamichhane as the deputy prime minister and home minister despite allegations of misappropriation of cooperative funds, the prime minister said that the investigation thus far suggests “no link between Lamichhane and the cooperative’s board of directors, account committee, or loan committee. “There is no proof of him being an employee of the cooperative or holding any institutional roles. Additionally, there are no ongoing legal proceedings against him,” Dahal said. 

He added that the cooperative loan issued in Lamichhane’s name has been repaid, and the police too have briefed the government that there is no need for further investigation in the case. The major opposition, Nepali Congress, has been critical of Lamichhane’s ministerial appointment, citing that he is under investigation for his alleged involvement in  misappropriation of cooperative funds.  

NC wants House panel to look into Lamichhane’s case 

The Nepali Congress is not satisfied with Prime Minister Dahal’s clarification regarding Home Minister Lamichhane’s alleged role in a fund misappropriation case and have demanded for a special House committee to look into the matter. Earlier, the prime minister had told the House that appointing Lamichhane as the deputy prime minister and home minister would not constitute a conflict of interest as the investigation has already exonerated Lamichhane.  

Nepali Congress Chief Whip Ramesh Lekhak contended in Tuesday’s parliament meeting that there is enough evidence to suggest that Home Minister Lamichhane was directly involved in misappropriation of funds from Pokhara-based Surya Darshan Cooperatives. 

“The prime minister said that there is no evidence, but we say there is. Let us create an environment for a fair investigation into this case. We call for the formation of an investigation committee in the parliament itself to look into this case,” Lekhak demanded before the House. He also demanded that Home Minister Lamichhane step down on moral grounds and cooperate in the investigation. 

Meanwhile, CPN-UML Chairman KP Sharma Oli has said that some forces are actively trying to defame Home Minister Lamichhane by demanding his resignation. Speaking at a press meet in Dhangadhi on Tuesday, Oli claimed that Lamichhane has no connection with the cooperatives accused of misappropriating funds. “If we go after every complaint against ministers or parliamentarians, there might arise a situation when all positions of minister and parliamentarians would be vacant,” he said. 

Two houses were gutted in a fire in Taplejung on Tuesday.

According to the District Police Office, Taplejung , properties worth around Rs 1.5 million were destroyed in the fire.

Police said that the houses of Harka Bahadur Paluwa and Subas Nalbu were engulfed in the flame.

The fire destroyed cash, food and clothes inside the houses. Two sheds close to the houses were also turned into ashes.

Some forests of the district have also caught fire.

At least seven houses were gutted in the last seven days in the district, the office informed.