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Prime Minister Pushpa Kamal Dahal has said that the Vice Chancellor of the universities have been appointed based on merit.

Prime Minister Dahal said during a meeting with the recently appointed Vice Chancellors of the Purbanchal, the Mid-West and the Far Western Universities at Singh Darbar today that he has made the process of appointing vice chancellors transparent and competitive.

The newly appointed Chancellor of the Purbanchal University, Prof Dr Biju Kumar Thapaliya, the newly appointed Chancellor of the Mid-West University, Prof Dr Dhruva Kumar Gautam and the newly appointed Chancellor of the Far Western University, Prof Dr Hemraj Pant met the Prime Minister and Chancellor Dahal today after receiving their appointment letter.

On that occasion, Prime Minister Dahal directed the Vice Chancellors to operate the universities in a competitive and transparent manner.

"Sharing of posts among the parties has been ended and the competition has been started in the appointment of the vice-chancellor of the university," Prime Minister Dahal said, adding, "The appointment of the vice-chancellors here has also been done accordingly, please fulfill your responsibilities in a fair manner."

Prime Minister Dahal directed the vice chancellors to focus on producing manpower to compete in the global market by providing quality education from universities.

West Indies 'A' won the title of T20 series before playing one remaining match. West Indies 'A' defeated Nepal by 28 runs in today's fourth match leading 3-1 in the five-match series.

Elected to bat first after winning the toss at Kirtipur-based TU Cricket Ground, West Indies 'A' scored 209 runs in 20 overs losing three wickets.

Chasing the target posted by West Indies 'A', Nepal gathered 181 runs in 20 overs losing all wickets. Andre Fletcher of West Indies 'A', made the highest 84 runs off 54 balls. Similarly, Johnson Charles scored 58 runs and Fabian Allen 33 runs (not out).

Towards bowling, Kushal Bhurtel took two wickets while Pratish GC one wicket for Nepal.  Captain Rohit Kumar Paudel scored highest 82 runs off 47 balls for Nepal. 

Hayden Walsh and Matthew Forde of West Indies 'A' took three wickets each while Fabian Allen and Gudakesh Motie two wickets each.

The final match between Nepal and West Indies 'A' of the ongoing series will be played on Saturday.

Kathmandu, the federal capital of Nepal, has been ranked the world's most polluted city again.

According to the data of the Air Quality Index today, Kathmandu's overall AQI has reached 162 while Chiang Mai city of Thailand is in the second position and Medan of Indonesia has been identified as the world's third most polluted city.

According to the people concerned, air pollution is soaring in Kathmandu due to rising incidents of forest fire amidst the increasing temperature.

The National Disaster Risk Reduction and Management Authority, today, recorded 165 incidents of forest fire in 39 districts across the country.

According to wildfire expert Sundar Sharma, the increasing number of forest fires has contributed to air pollution in major cities of the country including the federal capital.  If there is no rainfall in the next few days, it will be challenging to contain the forest fire and reduce air pollution, according to him.

Meteorologist Govinda Jha said there are no chances of rainfall immediately despite a brief rain in some parts.

Disaster management expert Dr Dharma Raj Upreti said AQI from 0-50 is considered good for public health as it is indicated by a green signal while 51-100 is moderate and marked by yellow, but it still warns us to be careful on time.

It is unhealthy specifically for sensitive groups such as those who have respiratory and cardiac issues if measured from 101-150 and is highlighted by orange. 

Similarly, AQI from 151-200 is indicated by red to suggest that it is unhealthy for all, 201-300 is highlighted by purple and it is very unhealthy.  If it is measured 301-400, it is hazardous and 401-500 is highly hazardous and they are denoted by maroon.

Air Quality Management Action Plan for the Kathmandu Valley, 2076 BS considers the situation measuring AQI above 300 as a disaster.

The Nepal Stock Exchange (NEPSE) plunged by 7. 31 points to close at 1,998.96 points on Thursday.

Similarly, the sensitive index dropped by 1. 48 points to close at 356. 05 points.

A total of 9,498,298-unit shares of 308 companies were traded for Rs 4. 13 billion.

Meanwhile, Samata Gharelu Laghubitta Bittiya Sanstha Limited (SMATA), Infinity Laghubitta Bittiya Sanstha Limited (ILBS) and Sadhana Laghubitta Bittiya Sanstha Limited (SDLBSL) were the top gainers today with their price surging by 10. 00 percent.

Likewise, People's Power Limited (PPL) was the top loser with its price dropped by 8. 21 percent.

At the end of the day, the total market capitalization stood at Rs 3. 16 trillion.

Chief Election Commissioner Dinesh Kumar Thapaliya submitted the 'Report on the By-election to the Member of House of Representatives and the Province Assembly, 2081 BS', along with the election results to President Ram Chandra Paudel on Thursday.

Chief Election Commissioner Thapaliya presented to the President the By-election, 2081 BS Report in accordance with the Clause 62 of the House of Representatives Member Election Act, 2074 BS, states a communiqué issued by spokesperson at the Office of the President, Shailaja Regmi Bhattarai.

A senior United Kingdom official has said that Nepal has high potential of attracting foreign direct investment (FDI) in some distinct areas if some key issues related to tax and investment safety are duly addressed. Harjider Kang, His Majesty’s Trade Commissioner for South Asia who was in Nepal to participate in the Third Investment Summit, said he came to Nepal to see and explore the potentials Nepal has in the areas of investment.

Speaking with a select-group of journalists, he said that the two countries are discussing signing a Double Tax Avoidance Agreement in order to attract British investors in Nepal. To this end, he had held discussions with high-level government officials and the governor of Nepal Rastra Bank. 

Kang told journalists that Nepal and the UK are very close in achieving such an agreement. As Nepal already has such agreements with India, Bangladesh and other countries, Nepal can make similar agreements with the UK as well.  According to him, assuring the international investors about the safety of their investment is obviously one of the major issues that the Nepal government should look after to attract FDI.

Investors want to be ensured that their investment is safe, there would not be changes in the laws related to tax and there would not be nationalization of companies, he said. If those issues are looked at, he said, UK companies want to come to Nepal. He further added that their messages have been well understood by the Nepal side and issues will be dealt once two sides back to the negotiation table.

According to him, tourism is one of Nepal's core areas which has the high-potential of attracting foreign investment. It is a distinct area so Nepal should tap this opportunity, he said. Other possible areas, according to him, are Information Technology, financial and pharmaceutical areas.  

China Foundation for Rural Development (CFRD), earlier known as China Foundation for Poverty Alleviation (CFPA) is the only active Chinese NGO working in Nepal. The NGO started its work in Nepal right after the earthquake of 2015 through an emergency response program. Shristi Kafle spoke with Zou Zhiqiang, director of the Nepal office of CFRD, on various aspects of poverty alleviation measures in Nepal.

Last month marked the ninth year of your organization working in Nepal. How is the experience so far?

When I first arrived in Nepal in 2015, I almost felt like it was my hometown. It was similar to any other Chinese provinces like Yunnan and Sichuan, just across the Himalayas. Before coming here, I worked in mainland China for 15 years and then in Ethiopia and Sudan. All those experiences helped me and my organization to start our journey. CFPA came to Nepal immediately after the devastating earthquake of April 2015. At least 28 people worked here in the beginning for relief and rehabilitation programs, while the international department worked together with the Nepali volunteers. Coincidentally, it was also the 60th year of establishment of diplomatic relations between Nepal and China. Besides immediate support, my job was to do research, planning and share proposals for long run support programs, as we realized that people needed us after the disaster. We didn’t work alone, but coordinated with the Chinese Embassy, over a dozen Chinese NGOs, the United Nations Nepal team, and other international donors. When the disaster emergency response team returned in June, it was only me who stayed back because there were many unfulfilled jobs. Gradually, we focused on other areas of work. There were rough roads too, but overall, with the support of our local partners and love of the general public, it has been a fulfilling experience so far. 

What are the major working areas of CFRD at the moment?

 After 2020, our major focus is on rural development. We changed from CFPA to CFRD. We work on health, education, drinking water and WASH, skill development of youth, women and microfinance, school meal and warm kits distribution, among others. We completed reconstruction of three school buildings destroyed by the earthquake in the Kathmandu valley. Last year, we focused our support to earthquake-affected communities in Jajarkot and Rukum West. Recently, we kicked off the first tea project in Nuwakot for value chain enhancement through Chinese machineries and equipment. We have continued serving nutritious meals to around 10,000 students in 52 schools of Dang, Kathmandu and Lalitpur. These are just a few activities. 

From 2015 to 2023, we have spent $10,350,000 in Nepal, and almost 650,000 people have benefited. As the biggest foundation of its type in China, we focus on agricultural industry development, creation of an internet platform to sell agro products and items to cities, tourist villages, and training the local farmers. All these programs were  successful in China. So we are blending these experiences in Nepal as well. 

How is the Chinese NGO different from other NGOs working in Nepal? 

As an NGO, we do not want people to be dependent upon us. Instead, we believe in providing skills and techniques to locals after which they can support themselves. I see that so many I/NGOs talk about rights, but care less about ground reality and livelihood. For instance, when we talk about women’s rights, it means women should be economically independent. We provide them with practical training, we want women to learn, and make money and live a confident and comfortable life. If they are engaged in any agricultural or skill related product, we provide them training on research, marketing, and how to brand their goods and sell at a higher price. For those who do not have any access to financial institutions, we have supported them with basic things like how to use and save money, and open bank accounts. We work closely with the community. I myself spend more than 120 days a year in the field. This is the major difference. We have partnered with over 20 Chinese donor institutions so far. Besides, we have come up with two books as guidelines for other Chinese NGOs who want to work in Nepal. CFRD doesn’t just work alone, we all want to work together to help more Nepali people.

How is the coordination with the local governments and agencies? What are the challenges?

I would say the major challenge here is geography, which is very uneven and even dangerous in some places. It’s easy to work around Kathmandu and other major cities, but to reach far flung areas, the transportation cost is high. And half a year, works are halted by monsoon and monsoon induced disasters. Besides geography and weather, the bureaucratic process is also difficult. Whenever we submit a proposal, it has to go through many channels, and most of our time is wasted just in waiting. The government keeps changing in Nepal, as do the officials in many departments. 

Sometimes, even a single permit could take three years. It’s comparatively getting better in recent times, as I feel the Social Welfare Council is working efficiently. In terms of working with the local governments, it’s quite easy as they are quick in response and management. Local government is more active than the center. Local representatives are from communities, so they come up with important proposals, which are related to the real needs of people, and the implementation part is satisfactory. But the central system is often changing. In terms of other partners, we worked with some 20 NGOS across the country, and we believe their capacity building is also important. So, we are also assisting in capacity building of local NGOs and staff.

You have visited many districts of Nepal. How do you find the living situation and poverty status of people outside Kathmandu? Is it similar to Chinese society?

I have visited at least 66 districts of Nepal, covering mountain, hill and Tarai region. Based on my experience of working in Nepal for nine years, I find that Nepal’s poverty status is better than China's. Decades ago, when I started work in this program, Chinese people were really poor. There was a lack of arable land and the weather was not favorable. There was a problem with the drinking water facility too. Resettlement was a huge challenge. In Nepal, I find comparatively a better situation. When someone has fertile land, and is provided with seeds, at least he will not sleep hungry. The problem in China was more serious. It’s a different kind of opportunity here. There are new concepts and ideas in agriculture and production, and immediately you can reap benefits out of something. This gives me hope. Last time, under the agro support project, we invited an expert team to conduct soil tests and water tests in some places, and found that everything was organic. In China, it would have been filled with chemicals. Thus, organic products in Nepal have a huge market, and they can be sold at higher rates. In Nepal, everyone has at least something to eat. People do not get nutritious food, enough meat or protein, but they do not sleep hungry. It should be counted as a blessing. 

What are the similarities between the Chinese and Nepali way of working for poverty alleviation and rural development?

Poverty is not just about food and housing, but it also incorporates many other components like safe drinking water, education, and basic health care. Thus, the poverty alleviation measure should be multi-dimensional. There should be a solid long-term strategy. Since 1989 till now, we have worked under the robust guidelines. In terms of the Chinese way of working, there is a strong collaboration from the top to the bottom. For instance, the east team of the country works together with the west team and share their experiences and expertise. There was also a provision that the officers needed to work in another province for three years in order to get their promotion. This is how the teams were mobilized to work in backward regions and at the grassroots level. Each country has its own distinctive national conditions, and the policies should be made accordingly. Nepal might have its own strategy, but it can definitely learn from Chinese anti-poverty experiences.

Prime Minister Pushpa Kamal Dahal has pledged to provision the setup of an innovation fund in the upcoming fiscal year's policy, program and budget for the expansion of the information technology sector.

In his address to a program organized on the occasion of the 7th National ICT Day here today, PM Dahal informed that groundwork was being done for the formulation of necessary laws for the establishment of the innovation fund.

"The government believes that economic and social transformation can be achieved only through the development, expansion and use of communications and information technology," he said, adding, the young scientists will be encouraged to earn income through information technology at their own capacity and access.

He made it clear that the government was seriously working to integrate and effectively implement the 'Startup Program focusing on the youth.

Prosperity could be achieved through development, good governance and employment only by accepting information technology as the 'leading factor', the Prime Minister said while appealing to all concerned for rapid development in the field of communications and information technology for economic and social transformation of the common people through it.

"The government is committed to make necessary policy and legal arrangements to ensure the development, expansion and safe use of information technology," he noted.

PM Dahal said the incidents related to cybercrime, which were on the rise lately, would be controlled through legal and policy measures.