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Newly appointed Gandaki Province Chief Minister Khagraj Adhikari took the oath of office and secrecy on Sunday.

Province Chief Dilliraj Bhatta administered the oath of office and secrecy to Adhikari this afternoon.

After Adhikari was sworn in as the chief minister, Deepak Manange of CPN (Unified Socialist) and Hari Bahadur Chuman of CPN (Maoist Center) were also administered the oath of office and secrecy as ministers without portfolio.

Province Chief Bhatta appointed Adhikari as the chief minister with the support of two or more than two parties as per Article 168 (2) of the Constitution.

Adhikari staked a claim for the chief ministerial position with the support of UML, Maoist Center and CPN (US).

Nepali Congress has 27 lawmakers, UML 22, Maoist Center eight (including Speaker), Rastriya Prajatantra Party two and CPN (US) one lawmaker in Gandaki.

After the Maoist withdrew its support to the Surendra Raj Pandey government, the chief minister had to take a vote of confidence within 30 days.

Pandey resigned from the post of chief minister after he did not see any situation to win the vote of confidence.

The Nepal Stock Exchange (NEPSE) gained 22.75 points to close at 2,026.81 points on Sunday.

Similarly, the sensitive index surged by 3.97 points to close at 359. 40 points.

A total of 11,210,102-unit shares of 311 companies were traded for Rs 4. 25 billion.a

Meanwhile, Nepal Finance Ltd. (NFS), Pokhara Finance Ltd. (PFL), Janaki Finance Company Limited (JFL) and Gurans Laghubitta Bittiya Sanstha Limited (GLBSL) were the top gainers today, with their price surging by 10. 00 percent.

At the end of the day, total market capitalization stood at Rs 3. 21 trillion.

CPN-UML Parliamentary Party leader Khagraj Adhikari has been appointed as the chief minister of Gandaki Province.

Province Chief Dilliraj Bhatta appointed Adhikari as the chief minister in accordance with Article 168 (2) of the Constitution.

With the support of 31 Province Assembly members—22 of CPN-UML, eight of CPN (Maoist Center) and one independent, Adhikari submitted the claim for the chief ministerial post to the province chief today. The Nepali Congress has 27 lawmakers, Rastriya Prajatantra Party has two and CPN (Unified Socialist) has one lawmaker.

Chief Minister Surendra Raj Pandey tendered his resignation before the Province Chief on April 3.

On the same day, the Province Chief called on political parties to stake a claim for the post of chief minister by April 9 with the support of two or more than two parties.

After Adhikari staked a claim for the chief ministerial position, Nepali Congress Parliamentary Party leader Surendra Pandey urged the Province Chief not to appoint the chief minister unconstitutionally.

Prime Minister Pushpa Kamal Dahal has suggested making the payback system for health insurance simpler so as to enhance the effectiveness of the health insurance scheme and to make it more service-oriented.

Addressing the program organized to mark the Eighth Health Insurance Day today, the PM stressed on making the joint-payment system implemented by the Health Insurance Board service-friendly.

"Provisions as online registration of membership, system for making claim at the right time and technology-friendly insurance scheme are the challenge-targeted reformative plans," he said and expressed the government's all-time commitment towards rendering Health Insurance Program meaningful and effective to fulfill the national aspiration of 'good governance, social justice and prosperity', providing the health services in an equitable manner through this program.

Stressing on the need of fulfilling the key responsibilities that the state and the service providing agencies have to discharge to enhance the attractiveness of the program, Prime Minister Dahal directed the bodies concerned to pay attention to topics like simplifying the process for the insurance policy-holders to access the services, maintaining the quality of service and rendering the service providing bodies further service-oriented, among others.

The Prime Minister emphasized on conducting an effective literacy campaign on the Health Insurance program, and on maintaining good governance and financial discipline.

Noting that the government has kept the program in high priority, he said all the health security plans would be operated through a one-door system. The PM hoped that important policy reforms like making the health insurance card mandatory for services and recommendations provided by the federal, provincial and local governments would help enhance the quantity and quality of the program.

The Head-of-Government reiterated that the program would be made attractive and effective by expanding the insurance amount and it can be developed as the 'national pride' program. He made it clear that the government would reach an appropriate conclusion on the basis of necessary study in view of the prospects of the Health Insurance Program.

In line with the concept of a welfare State, the government initiated the Health Insurance Program around the theme, 'Your Health, Our Resolve', from Kailali district on April 7, 2016. It is a State-prioritized participatory program.

According to the PM, the government is committed to making this program meaningful and effective by expanding its coverage.

On the occasion, Prime Minister Dahal handed the insurance certificate to the senior citizens of the Budhanilkantha Municipality. From today, the program has been launched in all the 753 local government units.

Chairman of the Health Insurance Board, Dr Gunaraj Lohani said that the insurance coverage has been expanded.

National Planning Commission (NPC) member Prof Dr Shivaraj Adhikari spoke on the various aspects of the health insurance program, its significance, need and reforms. He added that initiatives would be taken to make the program further simpler.

Secretary at the Ministry of Health Dr Roshan Pokharel maintained that the medicines produced in Nepal would be further systematized and managed well, and the insurance policy made refined and practical.

Those who love reading know there are only a few things that are better than reading a good book. One of them is discussing a book you’ve read and loved with other readers. In Nepal, except for a few Instagram pages and corporate book clubs, there aren’t many groups where we can discuss our favorite titles, recent reads, and other bookish things.

Reading doesn’t have to be an isolated affair if you can connect with others who share your love of authors and characters. While physical meet-ups, with steaming cups of tea or coffee and generous slices of cake, might be an ideal way to talk about the book you’re reading, online book clubs can cross international barriers and connect you with readers and authors from across the globe.

Here are five of our favorite book clubs where you can get some really good book recommendations, connect with other like-minded readers, and discuss your thoughts and opinions on everything related to books and reading.

Reese’s Book Club

Reese Witherspoon, an American actor and film producer, runs an online book club called the Reese’s Book Club. It has over two million followers on Instagram. Every month, she chooses two fun and thought-provoking books with female leads, one for adults and one for YA readers. You can then read along with Reese and others by following the online book club on Instagram and Facebook. There’s also an app and you can subscribe to the newsletter for some upbeat content in your inbox. Reese has also adapted some of her book club picks into movies, notably ‘Wild’, ‘Big Little Lies’, and ‘Little Fires Everywhere’.

Our Shared Shelf

Founded by Emma Watson in 2016, this Instagram community is focused on intersectional feminist literature. During the initial days, Emma selected a book with feminist themes every two months. Emma stepped back from the group in 2020, requesting its Facebook and GoodReads community members to continue sharing recommendations. The hashtag #oursharedshelf is going strong for like-minded and lively discussions. Some books on this list will make you smile and some will make you cry. But what’s for sure is that they will all inspire you and encourage you to be the best version of yourself.

Sonali’s Book Club

On her book club’s website, Bollywood actor Sonali Bendre Behl says she has always been passionate about reading but juggling motherhood and her career made it difficult to read as much as she would like. So, she started Sonali’s Book Club as a means to interact with book lovers from across the globe. It was a way to ensure she got her reading life back on track as she would have to compulsorily read at least one book every month. Every month, she picks a book for the members of the book club to read and sets a date to discuss any thoughts and questions that they might have. The discussion happens via Facebook Live or a textual discussion online on the Sonali’s Book Club Facebook group.

Oprah’s Book Club

Oprah Winfrey’s book club is arguably America’s most influential literary hit-maker, turning unknown titles into massive bestsellers. Every book Oprah picks for her club becomes an instant bestseller. The Instagram page of the book club is a virtual delight. You will find yourself scrolling through it for hours on end since it has over 2100 posts to date. The books she tends to pick are usually thick volumes so make sure you have the time and patience for such long reads before getting into them. The book club picks have over 100 titles—both fiction and non-fiction. Visit OprahDaily.com for book-related articles and many author interviews. You can also sign up for a book club newsletter to get a complete experience.  

Belletrist

Belletrist, co-founded by actresses Emma Roberts and Karah Preiss, is an online reading community dedicated to books and reading. Each month, the book club selects a book and hosts discussions about it. There are often author interviews too. This allows readers to get an insight into the workings of the author’s mind while writing the book. Since its launch in 2017, the community has chosen over 75 titles, and the books are discussed on TikTok, Facebook, and Instagram.

Nepali Congress Gandaki has urged the province chief not to appoint the chief minister unconstitutionally.

Nepali Congress Parliamentary Party leader Surendra Pandey made such a request to the province chief after CPN-UML Parliamentary Party leader Khagraj Adhikari staked a claim for the post of chief minister.

He said that the process to appoint the chief minister unconstitutionally should be stopped.

With the support of 31 Province Assembly members of CPN-UML, CPN (Maoist Center) and one independent, Adhikari submitted the claim for the chief ministerial post to the province chief today.

The Nepali Congress has 27 lawmakers and the Rastriya Prajatantra Party has two lawmakers.

CPN-UML Parliamentary Party leader Khagaraj Adhikari has staked a claim for the chief ministerial post in Gandaki Province.

A total of 31 Province Assembly members supported his claim for the chief minister, according to UML Parliamentary Party Chief Whip Govinda Nepali.

Those PA members supporting Adhikari include 22 of the UML, eight from the CPN (Maoist Centre) and the remaining one is independent. In the 60-member Gandaki PA, the confidence of at least 30 members is needed to be appointed as the chief minister.

Last Thursday, Chief Minister Surendra Raj Pandey tendered his resignation before the Province Chief and then the Province Chief called on political parties to stake a claim for the appointment to the post by April 9.  The coalition partners presented the claim before the deadline.

Nepali Congress, the largest party in the Gandaki with 27 members, leader Pandey resigned from the post after it was assessed that he was not going to get a vote of confidence.

The Rastriya Prajantra Party (RPP) which has two members in Gandaki is still undecided whether to support a new government or not.

The arrival of domestic and foreign tourists has increased in Parsa National Park, officials said.

Information Officer of the National Park, Santosh Bhagat said the number of Indian along with the domestic tourists has increased compared to the past.

In the first eight months of the current fiscal year, the Parsa National Park witnessed the arrival of 613 tourists. During the same period in the last fiscal year, only 140 visitors had reached the Parsa National Park.

In order to ensure good hospitality services to the tourists there, a community homestay is run in the Sunakhari buffer zone area of the national park. The homestay has offered local cuisines and delicacies to the tourists arriving at Parsa National Park.

Besides the presence of endangered wildlife, the national park boasts of religious and natural heritages including Kaminidaha (lake), Halkhoriyadaha and Laukidaha. Religious sites Mayamandir and Dugdheshwor Mahadev Mandir are also there in the national park.

Availability of water sources in the national park, the number of Royal Bengal tiger and other animals has increased. As per the tiger census conducted in 2022, the number of tigers in the Parsa National Park has reached 41. 

Considering the potential for touristic prospects and infrastructure development, the Parsa Wildlife Reserve was declared a national park in 2074 BS.