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After two years of completion, the Chovar Dry Port in Kathmandu has begun services.  

Currently, two hundred cars are waiting for customs clearance. 

Businessperson Bibhor Kumar Agrawal is visiting the dry port regularly for some days to proceed with the customs for cosmetic goods imported from Italy. 

The custom clearance for new vehicles has begun at Chovar Dry Port after the agreement forged with NADA Automobiles Association. It has resulted in the arrival of businesspersons seeking services here.

With no direct access to sea, Nepal has 14 dry ports, among which, Chovar Dry Port is the latest and modern facility. Most of the dry ports are constructed at borders- with China or with India. 

The latest one is now close to the main market of the country.

The businesspersons are provided spaces in the dry port to store their imports. They can use the spaces as internal depots.

Godown, rack, and equipment to un/load consignments are provided in the dry port. Arrangement of CCTV, security persons, container management and bank service are other features to equip the customs clearance. 

The dry port is spacious for as many as 500 containers. 

Executive Director at Chovar Dry Port, Ashish Gajurel, said if it is to be operated in a full scale, an environment should be created to bring the imports directly to this facility. Similarly, it can be used for final checks to exports as well. “It is however not possible at present because the imports are checked initially at border customs, including Birgunj checkpoint. Then they arrive here. It is therefore a hassle to ferry any consignment at this dry port and move to other places,” he explained.  

Gajurel however informed that once the expressway comes into operation, the exporters and importers would be free of present hassles.

The price of gold has increased by Rs 1, 100 per tola in the domestic market on Thursday.

According to the Federation of Nepal Gold and Silver Dealers’ Association, the precious yellow metal is being traded at Rs 127, 900 per tola today. It was traded at Rs 126, 800 per tola on Wednesday.

Similarly, tejabi gold is being traded at Rs 127, 300 per tola. It was traded at Rs 126, 200 per tola.

Meanwhile, the silver is being traded at Rs 1,510 per tola today.

Prime Minister Pushpa Kamal Dahal and the main opposition Nepali Congress President Sher Bahadur Deuba held a meeting on Thursday.

During the meeting held at the Prime Minister’s residence in Baluwatar, the two leaders discussed transitional justice, smooth running of the federal parliament and other contemporary issues, said Prime Minister's press expert Manohari Timilsina.

Tenzing Sherpa, one of Nepal’s pioneering DJs, has announced the ‘Everest Expedition 2024’ with the slogan ‘Stop Global Warming, Save the Himalayas’. DJ Tenzing aims to conquer the world’s highest peak, Sagarmatha (Mt Everest), within a month.

The expedition’s purpose extends beyond personal achievement; it also seeks to promote tourism and raise awareness about the impact of climate change, says DJ Tenzing. 

Hit Bahadur Tamang, Minister of Culture, Tourism, and Civil Aviation, commended DJ Tenzing for his efforts to raise public awareness through this expedition. Minister Tamang presented DJ Tenzing with the national flag of Nepal, expressing government support for his endeavor. “I am pleased that the government has pledged to offer any necessary assistance during my expedition,” DJ Tenzing said.

Hailing from Solukhumbu, DJ Tenzing has been organizing musical programs in the Solukhumbu region for the past 12 years, particularly on International Everest Day, commemorating the historic ascent of Mt Everest on 29 May 1953.

The Secondary Education Examination has started throughout the country from 8 am on Thursday.

As many as 2, 057 exam centers have been determined for this year's SEE, the National Education Board Chairman Dr Mahashram Sharma said.

An examination center has been set up in Japan this year also.

The SEE will be conducted from March 28 to April 9.

According to him, around 500, 000 students are appearing in the SEE across the country this year.

CPN-UML former secretary Top Bahadur Rayamajhi is under the supervision of doctors at Manmohan Cardiothoracic Vascular and Transplant Center.

Leader Rayamajhi was admitted to the center on Wednesday due to heart-related complications.

Dr Chandramani Poudel, a senior cardiologist involved in his treatment, said Rayamajhi's health condition is stable and that he has been admitted to the center to monitor his heart rate.

An ECG of his heart was carried out and is under observation of the doctors, he said.

Kathmandu: Durga Phuyal had hoped to start anew when she landed in Croatia, but the Nepali migrant faced an uphill battle to adjust to life in the Balkan country.

Phuyal is among the tens of thousands of migrants who have flocked to Croatia from as far afield as Asia, as the small EU country desperately tries to overcome a chronic labor shortage.

Traditionally reliant on seasonal workers from Balkan neighbors, Croatia is increasingly counting on laborers from Nepal, India, the Philippines and elsewhere to bridge the gap.

Mass emigration and a shrinking population has created tens of thousands of vacant positions in construction and the service industry in the tourism-dependent country, famous for its picturesque beaches along the Adriatic sea.

But not everyone has put out the welcome mat, with migrants facing cramped and expensive housing, and occasional anti-immigrant rhetoric that has spiked ahead of elections.

In Nepal, Phuyal paid 7,000 euros in total for the various fees, documents and travel expenses before landing in Croatia.

But after barely a month after arriving, she had lost her job and was offered no assistance by the agency that helped hire her.

“It was very difficult,” the 27-year-old said of the two-month ordeal. “I had no job, no accommodation, no food.”

The country provided nearly 120,000 non-EU nationals with work permits in 2023, a 40 percent jump over the figure from the previous year.

But in the run-up to general elections in April, right-wing parties have accused migrants of threatening the country’s security and stealing jobs from Croatians.

Migrants have also been regularly pilloried online, with social media users mocking them for gathering during New Year’s festivities in Zagreb, calling the celebrations ‘Advent in Kathmandu’ and ‘Nepali New Year’.

Ethnic Croats comprise more than 90 percent of Croatia’s population—nearly 80 percent of whom are Roman Catholics—making it one of the more homogeneous societies in Europe.

Language barriers along with conservative attitudes toward outsiders have presented myriad obstacles to welcoming in the new labor force.

“Unlike countries that throughout their history had contacts with diverse cultures—like France or Britain—Croatia is facing for the first time a situation where it is encountering very different groups,” said Dragan Bagic, a sociologist at the University of Zagreb.

Not ‘mentally’ ready

According to forecasts by the Croatian Employers’ Association, the country of just 3.8m could need as many as 500,000 foreign workers by the end of the decade.

Newly-arrived migrants have been most vulnerable during their search for housing, according to experts.

An investigation in a local newspaper in the capital Zagreb said 32 foreign workers were found living in a cramped 83-square-meter apartment in the city.

Classified advertisements aimed at foreign workers typically offer tiny apartments with nearly a dozen beds, priced at $216 per person.

A Nepali workers representative said their wages in Croatia range between 560 and 1,000 euros per month.

To meet the challenge, the Croatian government is preparing to amend the law on foreigners to better regulate accommodation, provide language classes and oversee the growing number of temporary employment agencies.

Arcely Bhing, a 48-year-old Filipina who works at a printing company, said Croatia was not ‘physically or mentally’ ready for this wave of immigration.

Attending mass in English every Sunday in Zagreb, where she is joined by dozens of other Filipinos, has helped fight homesickness.

“It’s a big thing for us Filipinos because we are also a Catholic country, most of us go to church,” she said.

Andjelko Katanec, a priest at the Saint-Blaise church that has been holding mass in English since 2019, said integrating into Croatian society was a ‘big challenge’ for migrants. “They risk being isolated outside work,” he said. “The history of mankind is the history of migrations,” Katanec said. “We have to organize better ... to welcome the immigrants better, offer them more opportunities and better conditions.”

‘Good workers’

Many migrants came to financially support their families back home and often use Croatia as a starting point in Europe with an eye toward settling elsewhere.

Denson D’Cruz, who migrated from Kerala, India, said he chose Croatia because it is part of Europe’s Schengen passport-free travel area. The 30-year-old arrived last year to work as a mechanic but now runs his own import-export company.

He said he hopes to stay in Croatia for the foreseeable future because of its “climate and people who are friendly and speak English.” While some have sought to exploit the new arrivals, others have worked to help them find their footing.

After falling on hard times, Phuyal eventually found work at a temp agency and hopes to begin work in a beauty salon soon. “Nepalis are very good workers, adjustable, and want to learn quickly,” said the agency’s owner, Ruzica Kerepcic. 

AFP​​​​​​​

India’s Ambassador to Nepal Naveen Srivastava on Tuesday discussed with Nepal’s Deputy Prime Minister and Home Minister Ravi Lamichhane security mechanisms between the two countries and the need for strengthening border management to check small crimes as well as human trafficking.

Srivastava paid a courtesy call on Lamichhane at the Home Ministry in Singhadurbar here and the two sides during the meeting discussed the “efforts needed to further consolidate deep, wide and diversified people to people relations between the two countries based on historical ties and geographical proximity,” according to the Home Minister’s secretariat.

The two sides agreed that criminal activities have come under control despite having an open border between the two countries through effective coordination between the security mechanisms of the two countries, a statement said.

Ambassador Srivastava underlined the need for strengthening border management mechanisms to check small crimes and human trafficking in the border area through coordinated efforts, it said.

Srivastava expressed India’s willingness to provide grant assistance for reconstruction works in earthquake-hit Jajarkot and Rukm West districts of western Nepal and provide specialized training to Nepal Police.

Lamichhane underlined the need to expand and upgrade mechanisms in the border area for testing pesticide contents in fruits and vegetables imported from India, according to sources from the Home Ministry.