Submit your Article

President Ram Chandra Paudel has issued the Ordinance Amending Some Nepal Acts Related to Investment Facilitation, 2081.

The President issued the Ordinance on the recommendation of the Government of Nepal, Council of Ministers and in accordance with the Article 114 (1) of the Constitution of Nepal, stated a communiqué signed by Shailaja Regmi Bhattarai, the Spokesperson at the Office of the President. 

The Ordinance has been issued in the context of the Third Investment Summit that kicked off in the federal capital from today.

Indoor plants are great—they make a space look aesthetic while bringing in an element of nature into your homes, they purify air, and many of them are fairly low maintenance. Greenery is known to have mood-boosting benefits and if you don’t have much outdoor space, indoor plants can be a great option.

But we know a lot of people who are always cribbing about how their Peace Lily doesn’t flower, or that their Fiddle Fig isn’t lush enough. Some even call themselves plant murderers. So, we thought we would come to their aid and find out some tips and tricks to get indoor plants thriving. It was something we could use some help with too. We spoke to some people who have happy plants at home to figure out what we might be doing wrong. Here are three things you should keep in mind for happy, thriving indoor plants. 

Choose plants based on light

The number one rule while getting plants for your home is to determine the amount of natural light your space receives and choose plants according to that. If you have south-facing windows, it will give bright light. If there are windows on the east and west, they will give moderate light while there’s low light from the north side. Most houseplants like bright, indirect light but some, like ZZ and Snake plants, can tolerate low light as well. If you don’t know which plant likes what type of light, place them where you like and then keep an eye out on them to see if they are thriving in the area.

“Consider placing them in well-lit spots for starters,” says Rajan KC, who works at a nursery in Khumaltar, Lalitpur. If you have a certain space where you feel the need for a plant or there is a particular plant you want to add in your home, research its light needs before you buy. KC says you shouldn’t hesitate to ask the gardener or the plant seller for information on how to take care of the plant you are buying. More often than not, they will be able to give you helpful tips.

Be careful about watering

Indoor plants are considered low maintenance mostly because they don’t need regular watering as outdoor, garden plants do. If you are confused about how much water your plants need, always remember that it’s better to underwater than to overwater them. Overwatering will lead to root rot and there’s often no saving your plants after that.

Make sure the soil is dry before watering your plants, says Sonam Lama, a primary school teacher, who has around 50 plants in her two-bedroom apartment in Kathmandu. She says how much water your plants need will differ around the year—they will need less water in the winter and slightly more in the summer. “If the soil is pulling away from the pot, that means the plant needs water,” she says.

How often you need to water your plants depends on various factors like how warm your home is, the type of plant, and the kind of pot. Plastic pots retain soil moisture longer than porous terra cotta containers, which let air pass through the sides. So be a bit mindful about the state your plant is in before frolicking around the house with the watering can.

Skip the fertilizer

Fresh soil has enough nutrients so if you have just repotted your plant, you don’t need to add fertilizer to it. Too much fertilizer can be harmful for houseplants as they don’t need as much fertilizer as outdoor plants do. When choosing to fertilize indoor plants, do so during the growing season which is early spring and monsoon.

If you make your own fertilizer from kitchen waste then you can use a fistful for each pot but if you are using store-bought fertilizer make sure to dilute it in water. “Always follow the instructions on the fertilizer packet and don’t just wing it,” says Rachana Karki. Her plants once shriveled from too much fertilizer and she had to replace around a dozen plants. Since then, she follows the ‘less is more’ rule when it comes to fertilizing indoor plants. “I’ve realized most plants do well with regular cleaning. I wipe down the leaves with a soft cloth after giving them a spritz of water every now and then,” she says.

The price of gold has increased by Rs 400 per tola in the domestic market on Sunday.

According to the Federation of Nepal Gold and Silver Dealers’ Association, the precious yellow metal is being traded at Rs 137, 600 per tola today. It was traded at Rs 137, 200 per tola on Friday.

Similarly, tejabi gold is being traded at Rs 136, 950 per tola. It was traded at Rs 136, 550 per tola.

Meanwhile, the price of silver, however, has dropped by Rs 15 and is being traded at Rs 1, 660 per tola today.

The government has planned to call for the letters of intent for 20 projects- mostly the hydropower projects- in the Third Investment Summit.

The two-day summit is commencing in the federal capital today.

The letters of intent are being sought from both national and foreign investors for the projects identified and feasibility studies completed.

Dhulikhel Medicity Project is one for which the letter of intent is sought. The proposal for the project is prepared- with the location of a super special hospital at Dhulikhel, Kavrepalanchowk at the cost of Rs 11 billion. Government has planned to construct the super special hospital in a bid to develop a medical tourism hub.

Similarly, Sudurpaschim Public Transport Project is another for which the letter of intent is called for. It aims at improving public transportation in Kailali, Kanchanpur and Doti districts of Sudurpaschim Province. For the project, 173 buses including 104 electric vehicles are proposed under it, with the estimated cost of Rs 31.13 billion, and the term is three years.

Naumure Multi-Purpose Project with estimated cost of Rs 92 billion is also in the list. As per the proposal, total 281.04 MW electricity would be generated from the project.

The Shivalaya Reservoir-based Hydropower is proposed at the border of Dolakha and Ramechhap districts. It is the largest hydropower project with an estimated cost of Rs 289 billion. 

Humla Karnali Hydropower Project of 61.2 MW project will be located at Namkha Rural Municipality of Humla district. The project cost is around Rs 14.70 billion.

The Upper Chameliya Hydropower Project with the capacity of 53.85 MW is estimated to require investment of Rs 11.90 billion.

Panchkhal Special Economic Zone in Panchkhal Municipality has aimed at creating jobs by promoting economic activities. Rs 1.57 is the estimated cost of the undertaking.

Kabadikhola Hydropower Project to be located at mountainous place in the border of Bajura and Humla districts is proposed to be operated in a BOOT model. It requires Rs 6.41 billion investment. The feasibility study for the project was done in 2020. 

Another hydropower to be located in Tanahun, Palpa, Nawalpur and Syangja districts is Kaligandaki-II is the reservoir-based hydropower. Total Rs 174 billion is the estimated investment for the project.

A 377MW hydropower project named Bharbung Reservoir-based Hydropower Project is listed for the undertaking the government is showcasing for letter of intent in the two-day event.

There are other hydropower projects like Tom Dogar Budhugandaki Hydropower Project with location at Chumnubri of Gorkha, and Super Budhigandaki Hydropower Project with location in Gorkha.

In addition to the hydropower projects, other projects the government is showcasing to elicit concept paper are- Pokhara International Convention Centre and Exhibition Centre, Daiji Industrial Zone, Babarmahal Administrative Plaza, Mahadev Stream Reservoir focused on climate actions, Karnali-Chisapani Wind Energy Project, Chandragiri-Chitwan Expressway, Janaki Heritage Hotel and Cultural Village, Dhaubadi Iron Mine and Excavation Project.

The Third Investment Summit is beginning today. It is being organized to bring in foreign direct investment and launch development projects for the country's economic progress.

The government is dangling 151 projects. The event to be inaugurated by Prime Minister Pushpa Kamal Dahal will be attended by over 1600 investors from 55 plus countries.

Nepal Investment Board has informed that there will be 23 exhibition stalls along with detailed information on the projects in the conference. Similarly, concept notes would be called for 19 projects.

The two-day international event features 11 parallel sessions on Monday. The first day witness’s inauguration session and two major sessions.

The investors will be provided opportunities to interact with PM Dahal and Finance Minister Barsha Man Pun in course of the summit.

Private sector, a partner of economic development, is the co-organizer of the event.

Several noted international figures including Indian Minister for Commerce and Industry, Piyush Goyal; State Minister for UK Asia Pacific Affairs, Anne-Marie Trevelyan; Minister of State for Development and Africa, Andrew Mitchell; UNCTAD Secretary General Rebeca Grynspan; Chairman of China International Development Cooperation Agency, Luo Zhaohui are addressing the summit.

Similarly, Vice President Chair of ADB, Yingming Yang; Acting Vice Chair of Asian Infrastructure Investment Bank, Rajit Mishra; Indian Ambassador to Nepal, Naveen Shreevastav; Executive Director of ITC India, Supratim Datta, and Senior Vice Chair of US Chamber of Commerce, Atul Keshap, also in the list to address it.

The event will also be addressed by former Prime Minister and major opposition leader Sher Bahadur Deuba, Finance Minister and summit convention committee director, Barsha Man Pun, and leaders of Nepali business community.

Nepa Media Society, an umbrella organization of private publications and television broadcasters, has demanded action against those involved in creating fake news with malicious intention to defame some established media houses and also to assassinate the character of their owners and a sitting Supreme Court justice.

Issuing a statement on Friday, Society Chairman Shuvashankar Kandel said that such attempts to spread rumors about responsible media houses have made them serious.

On Friday, Sidhakura.com, an online news portal, released an audio recording titled "Deal with Supreme Court justice among others to dismiss 400 corruption cases".

The Society said that audio was released with an aim to damage the reputation of  some media houses and also to attack on democratic structures, independent media and judiciary.

“The law enforcement agencies should immediately take action those involved in releasing the audio aimed at defaming some established media houses and damaging the reputation of their owners and a sitting Supreme Court justice without any facts or evidence. It is necessary to clarify that the factories that create such news with an ill intention to spread propaganda cannot be called the media,” Society Chairman Kandel said in the statement.

“We strongly demand that the government take action against such propaganda-producing factories and curb the activities that fall under the category of ‘hate speech’” he said.

Saying that international media organizations around the world, UNESCO and also the United Nations have consistently been expressing concern over the extreme misuse of social media and technology to spread rumors and to change the general public and entire society into an irresponsible group, Chairman Kandel said that such attempts are also being made in Nepal.

“It is a well-known fact that some interest groups and those who are abusing the government mechanism are being scared of Nepali responsible mainstream medias’ leading role in exposing some big corruption cases and other incidents,” the statement reads. “News can be made, should be made with facts on any topics or any one be it media houses or journalists. It is a terrible trend in itself to misuse any online news portals or social media platforms to avenge personal enmity. It is certain that such doings will weaken the democratic system in the future if not controlled on time.”

“It is necessary that the government and the law enforcement agencies should accept the fact that anything without responsibility will not be tolerable for a democratic society,” Kandel said, adding, “The latest fake audio case is part of a premeditated plan to attack on Nepali media, journalists and judiciary. It is clear that the latest fake audio case is nothing but a plan to spread rumors and manipulate the people.”

On Friday, Press Council Nepal had directed sidhakura.com to remove a fake news published on April 26, 2024, claiming that the leadership of Annapurna Media Network and Kantipur Publications were part of a meeting involving sitting and former Supreme Court justices and senior lawyers to dismiss more than 400 corruption cases. The news portal has named Capt. Rameshwar Thapa, chairman of Annapurna Media Network (AMN), and Kailash Sirohiya, chairman of Kantipur Publications, as key members of the so-called high profile secret meeting.

The Press Council has instructed the news portal to take down the news and furnish clarification for publishing such malicious and fabricated content. The made-up report advertised to readers as ‘exclusive’ is aimed at damaging the reputation of the Supreme Court as well as the media houses.

Japan’s Foreign Minister Yoko Kamikawa is arriving Nepal on May 4 for a two-day official visit.

According to Japan’s Ministry of Foreign Affairs, it is a part of her Asia tour. She will call on President Ram Chandra Paudel, Prime Minister Pushpa Kamal Dahal and other senior political leaders. Nepal and Japan are discussing the celebration of 70^th anniversary of the establishment of diplomatic relations between two countries. Earlier, in 2019, Japan’s then Foreign Minister Taro Kono had visited Nepal. 

Kantipur Media Group Managing Director Kailash Sirohiya has demanded action against those involved in creating and publishing fake news by including his name among others.

He wrote to the Press Council Nepal and demanded action after sidhakura.com on Friday published a misleading audio transmitted by including his name.

Who are the designers of such ill-acts? He has also urged the concerned authorities to identify them and take stern action.

“Creating and publishing fake news is also punishable by law. But some people are creating misleading content by misusing the technology to serve some interest groups. Such groups are not only assassinating the character of the honest people, but also trying to defame the government bodies,”

 Sirohiya said in the letter sent to the Press Council.

This act is motivated by the aim to defame the reputation of certain media houses and assassinate the charge of some justices.

Also Read: Press Council directs sidhakura to remove fake content

“It will be too late if we cannot identify and discourage those who are trying to weaken the pillar of the democratic system on time,” Sirohiya said.

Earlier on Friday, Annapurna Media Network Chairman Capt. Rameshwor Thapa had said that sidhakura.com has crossed the ethical and moral boundaries of journalism by trying to discredit the media institutions that have always stood for democracy. It has also besmirched the sanctity of the Supreme Court, he added, demanding legal action against the news portal. AMN management has said that it is in consultation with lawyers to seek legal remedies for the reputational damage through fabricated news.

Annapurna and Kantipur news outlets have been reporting news on Lamichhane’s alleged involvement in the misappropriation of funds from a financial cooperative.