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The Election Commission (EC) has endorsed the voter list in view of the upcoming election to the National Assembly, the upper house of the Federal Parliament, scheduled to take place on January 25. 

As per the endorsed voter list, there are a total of 2,047 voters who include Province Assembly (PA) members, chairs and vice-chairs of rural municipalities and mayors and deputy-mayors of municipalities for the upper house election.

Of them, 549 are PA members and 1,498 are local representatives. Though there should be a total 550 voters from the PA, one member is no more and it has been fixed at 549.

Likewise, names of one rural chair, one vice chair and one deputy mayor are not in the voter list as they have already passed away. Similarly, the names of one rural municipality chair and four mayors have been excluded in the list as they currently remain suspended from the posts, according to a press statement issued by Commission Spokesperson Shaligram Sharma Paudel. 

The total weightage of vote of PA members is 29,097, and it is 28,462 of local representatives: 57,500 in total. The voting weightage of a PA member is 53 followed by 19 of a local people's representative as fixed by the Commission.

The voter’s name list will be available in the election officers' office by January 5 and it could be corrected through a certain procedure if needed. The EC will publish the final list on January 7.

President Ram Chandra Paudel appointed six justices for the Supreme Court.

President Paudel appointed them as SC justices on Wednesday after the Parliamentary Hearing Committee endorsed their names.

The President appointed Saranga Shrestha, Abdul Aziz Musalman, Mahesh Sharma Paudel, Tek Prasad Dhungana, Sunil Kumar Pokharel and Bal Krishna Dhakal as SC justices at the recommendation of the Judicial Council as per Article 129 (2) of the Constitution.

Earlier this morning, the Parliamentary Hearing Committee endorsed six nominees for Supreme Court justices.

Pokharel and Dhakal are advocates while Shrestha, Musalman, Paudel and Dhungana are High Court judges.

Residents of Kathmandu have initiated a protest, expressing dissatisfaction with the Melamchi Water Supply Development Committee for not supplying water from Melamchi River to Kathmandu Valley.

The committee stopped supplying water from the Melamchi River in June to save temporary structures built to divert water into the tunnel from monsoon floods. In the past year, it would resume supply following the end of monsoon in mid-November.. The supply, however, hasn’t resumed this year.  

The Kathmandu Valley Struggle Committee organized a peaceful rally on Monday. It has vowed to intensify protest in the coming days if water supply from Melamchi River does not resume immediately.

Approximately 3.2m residents in the Kathmandu Valley rely on the piped water supply provided by Kathmandu Upatyaka Khanepani Ltd (KUKL). But KUKL has been facing difficulty in managing supplies as it hasn’t received supply from its major source—the Melamchi River.

Govinda Raj Panta, the coordinator of the struggle committee, said that the rally began from Koteshwar and concluded at Minbhawan. 

The Kathmandu Valley has been grappling with a chronic shortage of drinking water. The supply is exacerbated during the dry winter months when water flow from its sources reduces significantly. 

“In the past years, supply from the Melamchi River would resume by mid-November. It is already the third week of December, but they haven’t resumed supply,” Panta added.

Panta sees no technical reason for stopping water supply from the Melamchi River. “There seems to be a managerial lapse. This is why we initiated the protest to exert pressure on the authorities,” said Panta.

Officials, however, contend that the delay is due to technical challenges. Rajendra Prasad Panta, the spokesperson for the Melamchi Water Supply Development Committee, cited October floods in the Melamchi River which damaged the access road to the dam site and a temporary structure facilitating the diversion of Melamchi waters to the tunnel. “Floods have deposited debris in the 210-meter tunnel that links the dam with the main tunnel,” said Spokesperson Panta.

While the access road to the dam site in Ambathan has been reconstructed with the support of the Helambu Rural Municipality, it will take time to clear debris from the tunnel, he added. “Although we requested the main contractor, Sino Hydro, to expedite these efforts, there is a delay.” Spokesperson Panta said that the cabinet must first endorse the variation order submitted by the committee.

As Sino Hydro’s contract with the committee is set to expire in December, the committee has initiated a new bidding process to enlist a new company. “We are currently in the process of evaluating the bids,” stated Spokesperson Panta. 

The estimated cost for removing debris from the tunnel and other works is Rs 120m.

Officials of the committee failed to provide a clear timeline for resuming the supply of Melamchi waters to Kathmandu.

ADB for relocating the main dam

The Asian Development Bank (ADB), a key financier of the project, has suggested that the dam site be relocated stating that recurrent floods have made the current site unfeasible. In response, the government has opted to undertake an independent study to ascertain whether the dam needs to be relocated as proposed by the ADB. 

More than Rs 60bn has been invested in the Melamchi Water Supply Project which was initiated two decades ago. It is designed to supply 170m liters of water from the Melamchi River to the Kathmandu Valley through a 26.5 km long tunnel in the first phase. 

The government plans to divert water from the nearby Yangri and Larke rivers by building two more tunnels to increase water supply to the Kathmandu Valley to 510m liters per day in the second phase.

The Nepal Stock Exchange (NEPSE) gained 35.39 points to close at 2,141.87 points on Wednesday.

Similarly, the sensitive index surged by 4.93 points to close at 402. 63 points.

A total of 19,963,604-unit shares of 306 companies were traded for Rs 7. 00 billion.

Meanwhile, Bottlers Nepal (Balaju) Limited, Himalayan Distillery Limited, Forward Microfinance Laghubitta Bittiya Sanstha Limited, NRN Infrastructure and Development Limited and Liberty Energy Company Limited were the top gainers today, with their price surging by 10. 00 percent.

Similarly, Kumari Dhanabriddhi Yojana was the top loser as its price fell by 3.82 percent.

At the end of the day, total market capitalization stood at Rs 3. 31 trillion.  

Balancing work and home responsibilities can be difficult but it’s something I strive for every day. The stress often gets to me. I want to effectively navigate the challenges of balancing work demands while being available for my children. I want to ensure they have a healthy and supportive environment for their overall well-being. What can I do?

 Answered by Rishav Koirala, researcher and physiatrist

 Balancing work and supporting your children at the same time can be a real challenge. A smart strategy is to figure out your priorities and set clear boundaries between work and family time to keep stress in check.

Quality time with your kids matters more than just quantity. Doing activities together that build a strong connection and help your kids grow emotionally is important. Take care of yourself too. Make sure you exercise, do things that relax your mind, and get enough sleep too. A happy and healthy parent can provide better support than a stressed and irritated one.

Open communication with your children about your work schedule is key. Being flexible in how you handle work and family is important. Share responsibilities at home and work, and build a support system of friends and family who can lend a hand when things get overwhelming. Look for new ways to blend work and family life when possible.

If things get tough and you are unable to deal with it, family therapy can be a helpful option. When things seem to be going out of control, seeking advice from a professional shows your commitment to personal growth and your family’s well-being.

It’s not just about managing time but understanding what matters to you. Good communication, flexibility, and having a strong support system are the keys to finding a balance between work and supporting your children.

Sri Lankan Foreign Minister M. U. M. Ali Sabry arrived in Kathmandu on Wednesday.

He arrived in Kathmandu to take part in the first meeting of Nepal-Sri Lanka Joint Commission (JC) set to be held in Kathmandu on December 21-22, 2023.

At the meeting, Minister for Foreign Affairs Narayan Prakash Saud will lead the Nepali delegation consisting of the officials of various ministries of the Government of Nepal. The two foreign ministers will also hold a separate meeting.

During his stay in Nepal, the Sri Lankan minister is also scheduled to pay courtesy calls on President Ram Chandra Paudel and Prime Minister Pushpa Kamal Dahal, the Ministry of Foreign Affairs informed.

The Foreign Minister will leave Kathmandu for Colombo on December 23, 2023.

The Bagmati Province alone has a total of 1,253 people suffering from autism. Among them, 495 are in Kathmandu, 113 in Chitwan, 83 in Lalitpur, 78 in Bhaktapur and 77 in Makawanpur.

Likewise, 75 people are suffering from autism in Kavre, 70 in Dhading, 65 each in Nuwakot and Sindhuli, 54 in Sindhupalchowk, 33 in Dolakha and 17 in Rasuwa.

As per the information shared at a workshop on autism organized by the Bagmati Province Health Ministry, currently 4,886 people now are suffering from autism in Nepal.

According to the Health Ministry's expert doctor Shakar Khanal, it is estimated that around 300,000 people, including one in 100 people, have this problem based on the data of the World Health Organization. He said that four men equal to one woman have this problem.

According to him, 328 people in the mountains, 2,229 in the hills and 2,329 in the Terai have this problem according to the geographical condition.

It was informed that the problem of autism is increasing in urban areas rather than in rural areas.

As per the data provided, 1,728 people are living with the problem in villages and 3,158 people in the urban areas.

According to Surendra Bajracharya of the Autism Care Nepal Society, autism is not a disease but a problem. "Though autism is detected at the age of six months in different countries, it is found only after 18 months in Nepal", he said.

Sharing that around 0.8 percent of the population with disabilities are also having autism in Nepal, he said autism is a genetic condition and caused by genetics, environment and infection.

So far there is no treatment of the problem, he said, adding it can be improved with various types of therapy and rehabilitation measures.

On the occasion, Bagmati Province Health Secretary Deepak Tiwari said that the province government has made efforts for the first time to solve the problems seen in the issue of autism.

He said such programmes would facilitate the government's future works and collection of actual data.

Representatives from the health institutions within the province and various organizations working in the field of autism participated in the program.

Three persons died and 27 others were injured when a bus and a truck collided with each other at the three number bridge of Pathlaiya-Hetauda road section along the Tribhuvan Highway in the wee hours of Wednesday.

Two of the deceased have been identified as truck driver Purna Gurung (28) of Pipartar, Tanahun, bus driver Hari Shumsher Thapa (40) of Hetauda Sub-Metropolitan City-3. The identity of the man who was killed in the incident is yet to be established.

The bus (Ba 3-001 Kha 2587) heading towards Kathmandu from Kakadbhitta collided head-on with the truck (Na 7 Kha 7300) at around 2 am today.

Among the injured, seven are said to be in critical condition.

According to the District Police Office, Bara, Khil Raj Dulal (30) of Bhati Rural Municipality, Sunsari, Surendra Gautam (40) of Itahari Sub-Metropolitan City-4, Sunsari, his wife Samjhana Gajurel (35), daughter Soraya Gautam (12), son Sodanem Gautam (3), assistant bus driver Nagendra Upreti (35) of Jhapa are in critical condition.

They are undergoing treatment at the Purano Medical College.

Similarly, Tej Kumar Gurung (17) of Bandipur Rural Municipality-6, Tanahun, who was also injured in the incident, is receiving treatment at the Hetauda Hospital, Bara police spokesperson Dhadiram Neupane said.