Submit your Article

The United Nations Development Programme (UNDP) released its 'Human Development Report, 2025' at a function held in the capital on Tuesday.

The report focuses on the impact that artificial intelligence (AI) can have on the multidimensional aspects of human development along with the potential that it carries.

The report also highlights the potential for the use of AI to further strengthen human development, promote inclusion and establish a just society.

According to the report, Nepal is in the list of countries with medium human development in the Human Development Index. Nepal is ranked 145th with an index of 0.622. The report also mentions that Nepal's Human Development Index has increased by 54 percent in the last 35 years.

At the report's launching event, Minister for Communications and Information Technology Prithvi Subba Gurung said that Nepal has been taking policy initiatives to promote artificial intelligence, digital economy, establish data centers and attract foreign direct investment.

A policy has been adopted to increase the use of AI in the research and development sector, while studies are being conducted on how AI can be effectively used in sectors such as education, health, and agriculture. 

Minister Gurung said that the cold weather of the Himalayan region and the availability of cheap green energy (hydropower) have the potential to establish Nepal as an attractive destination for establishing a data center.

The government has planned to establish IT hubs in every province and initiatives are being taken to develop infrastructure for the same, said Minister Gurung. He expressed his belief that the ‘Digital Nepal Framework’, which Nepal has already implemented, will be further refined and implemented in a systematic manner, and that this will improve digitalization of government service, e-governance and digital access of citizens.

On the occasion, UNDP Nepal Resident Representative Kyoko Yokosuka said that the report focuses on how to benefit from the use of artificial intelligence and what challenges it may come up with. In the case of Nepal, she said that the use of AI can be effective in areas such as inclusive service delivery, improving the efficiency of local levels, disaster management and mitigating the impact of climate change, and data-based policymaking.

The Department of Hydrology and Meteorology has predicted that there is a possibility of light rain from coming Wednesday, which will cause the temperature to dip a bit.

Temperature has risen in most of the places across Tarai Madhesh belt (lowland) and the Kathmandu Valley for some time now in absence of rainfall, the Department said.

Meteorologist Pratima Manandhar said that western and the central part of the country is currently under the influence of the westerly winds and local winds while a majority of the places in Koshi Province is impacted by monsoon air.

Monsoon is taking some time to spread across the country from the eastern part as monsoon wind is yet to be fully active. She shared that the heat has increased significantly at present due to lack of rainfall. 

However, a light rainfall is taking place in some districts in Koshi, Bagmati and Lumbini Provinces today.

She mentioned the likelihood of light rainfall in various places including Kathmandu Valley from Wednesday. "The temperature will gradually decrease from Wednesday as clouds are also forming and rainfall is likely," the meteorologist explained.

Today's maximum temperature of Kathmandu Valley was 30 degree Celsius while Bhairahawa, Dhangadi and Nepalgunj recorded 41 degree Celsius, the highest of all other places in the country. 

The Department has forecasted light to moderate rainfall with thunderstorm and lightning in few places of Koshi, Gandaki and Lumbini Provinces and similar weather is predicted in a place or two in hilly areas of the remaining provinces from coming Wednesday. 

A couple of places in mountainous parts of the country could witness rainfall which could affect the people's lives as well as road and air transportation, the Department cautioned and urged one and all for necessary precaution and early preparedness to reduce the impact of the rain-induced disasters.

The year-on-year consumer price inflation stood at 2.77 percent in mid-May 2025 compared to 4.40 percent a year ago, Nepal Rastra Bank (NRB) stated in its report 'Current Macroeconomic and Financial Situation of Nepal (Based on Ten Months Data Ending Mid-May 2024/25)' today.  

Similarly, food and beverage inflation stood at 1.52 percent whereas nonfood and service inflation stood at 3.45 percent in the review month. During the same period in the previous year, the price indices of these groups had increased 6.41 percent and 3.09 percent, respectively.

During the review month, the year-on-year price index in rural areas increased 3.21 percent, while in urban areas, it rose 2.61 percent.

Based on provinces, in the review month, the year-on-year consumer price inflation in Koshi Province is 4.29 percent, Madhesh Province 2.81 percent, Bagmati Province 2.40 percent, Gandaki Province 2.23 percent, Lumbini Province 2.15 percent, Karnali Province 2.21 percent, and Sudurpashchim Province 3.14 percent.

In the review month, the year-on-year consumer price inflation in the Kathmandu Valley, Terai, Hill and Mountain region surged to 2.64 percent, 2.64 percent, 2.65 percent and 4.01 percent respectively.

The year-on-year wholesale price inflation stood at 3.95 percent in mid-May 2025 compared to 5.68 percent a year ago. 

The year-on-year  wholesale price of consumption goods increased 10.89 percent while intermediate goods and capital goods increased 0.10 percent and 2.73 percent respectively.

The year-on-year  wholesale price of construction material increased 2.67 percent in the review month, the report stated.

The Nepal Stock Exchange (NEPSE) gained 26. 24 points to close at 2,679. 34 points on Tuesday.

Similarly, the sensitive index surged by 5. 57 points to close at 457. 29 points.

A total of 23,697,145-unit shares of 311 companies were traded for Rs 10. 16 billion.

Meanwhile,  ​​​​Pure Energy Limited (PURE) and Shree Investment Finance Co. Ltd. (SIFC) were the top gainers today, with their price surging by 9. 99 percent. Likewise, Rawa Energy Development Limited (RAWA) was the top loser as its price fell by 6. 20 percent.

At the end of the day, total market capitalization stood at Rs 4. 46 trillion.

The Securities Board of Nepal (Sebon) is considering a new policy that would bar hydropower companies from issuing initial public offerings (IPOs) before they begin generating electricity.

According to an official at Sebon, the capital market regulator has held preliminary discussions on restricting hydropower developers from going public before starting power generation. This comes in response to growing concerns about risks posed to general investors when companies without completed projects raise funds from the public.

The recommendation to introduce such a policy originated from the High-Level Economic Reforms Advisory Commission, led by former Finance Secretary Rameshore Khanal. The commission suggested that the government take necessary legal measures to restrict IPOs by hydropower companies until they become operational.

The recommendation was later included in an economic reform action plan prepared by a committee headed by Chudamani Paudel, Secretary at the Office of the Prime Minister and Council of Ministers. The government formed the committee to prepare an action plan to implement the recommendations made by the Khanal-led commission.

The action plan states that the provision to prevent hydropower companies from going public before they start power generation could be implemented within two years.

Sebon has begun discussions on implementing the recommendation in line with the action plan prepared by the Paudel-led committee. Although no official decision on the timeline or the mechanism for implementing the rule has been made so far, the Sebon official said that consultations are ongoing with the Ministry of Finance and the Ministry of Energy, Water Resources, and Irrigation to explore feasible approaches.

Currently, hydropower companies that have completed at least 65 percent of their physical construction are eligible to issue IPOs. This existing provision has faced criticism in recent years, with concerns that it exposes the public to financial risk if the projects encounter delays or fail to complete construction.

At present, 36 hydropower companies have submitted applications to Sebon, seeking approval to issue over 174.8m shares worth approximately Rs 17.89bn. The IPO applications of these companies will be processed under the existing provision until a new decision is made.

Meanwhile, the Independent Power Producers’ Association of Nepal (IPPAN) has raised concerns that enforcing such a restriction could delay project implementation. IPPAN argues that allowing early IPO issuance enables developers to mobilize funds during the construction phase, which is often the most capital-intensive period for hydropower development.

Belauri Municipality in Kanchanpur district has decided to close all schools for two days in a bid to avoid scorching heat. The local level said the schools would remain closed on Tuesday and Wednesday in the wake of rising temperatures.

The decision was made considering the health of school teachers, students and employees, according to Mayor Potilal Chaudhari. The school closure will be adjusted with summer holidays. 

He added that all community and institutional schools would be closed for two days. 

It has been difficult for some days to walk outside owing to increasing temperature. People's movement is limited during the day time. The health workers also informed that the locals were complaining of nausea, conjunctivitis and fever of late. 

The Office of the Prime Minister and the Council of Ministers (OPMCM) has expressed serious concern over the deployment of staff beyond the approved quota at the Immigration Office at the Tribhuvan International Airport (TIA). The issue has come under scrutiny following a complaint filed with the Commission for the Investigation of Abuse of Authority (CIAA), alleging that the Ministry of Home Affairs has appointed more personnel than the sanctioned positions in several departments, including immigration.

According to an OPMCM source, the practice of leaving some positions vacant while overstaffing others has disrupted service delivery. The complaint to the CIAA calls for a thorough investigation and strict action against those responsible. The Prime Minister’s Office has warned that those involved could face departmental action, be issued warnings or even punished under anti-corruption laws.

In a letter to the Ministry of Home Affairs, the OPMCM cited provisions under various laws, including Section 18(A) of the Civil Service Act 2049, which governs deputation of civil servants. Sub-section 3 of the same clause mandates that if a civil servant is deputed against the stated legal provisions, the officer responsible for the posting must repay the salary and allowances from their own pocket and face departmental action. Furthermore, Section 15 of the Governance (Management and Operation) Act 2065 requires timely decision-making, and Section 17(B) of the Prevention of Corruption Act 2059 stipulates penalties for causing harm through indecision or negligence.

The Prime Minister’s Office also reminded the Home Ministry that deploying staff without adherence to the decisions of secretary-level meetings constitutes a breach of existing laws. It has issued an ultimatum to provide a full list of personnel working beyond the approved staff quota.

Additionally, the PMO has directed the Home Ministry to align staffing strictly with the sanctioned positions within seven days. “I urge you to immediately provide the list of institutions operating with excess staff and the names of such personnel, and to ensure staff deployment is strictly in accordance with the approved quota within seven days, with updates submitted to this office,” the letter goes.

The PMO has further warned that it will initiate legal proceedings under the Governance Act if the directive is not followed.

The CPN (Maoist Center) has urged Home Minister Ramesh Lekhak to resign from his post to allow for an 'impartial' investigation into the visit visa scandal.

During a National Assembly meeting today, Suresh Ale Magar of the Maoist Center demanded time to argue that a fair investigation into the scam would be unlikely as long as the Home Minister remains in office, given that employees of the Home Ministry have been implicated in the scandal.

“We believe the Home Minister is not personally responsible for any wrongdoing, but he should step down on moral grounds to facilitate investigation, making it uninfluenced,” he said. 

Ale Magar also questioned why an employee previously accused in various scams was assigned responsibility for immigration.

Speaking during the zero hour, Krishna Prasad Paudel raised concerns over the rising COVID-19 cases in India, stressing the need to enhance surveillance and testing along the Nepal-India border.

Goma Devi Timilsina urged the government to prioritize launching public awareness campaigns about COVID-19.

Sonam Gyaljen Sherpa called for prompt relief efforts for those displaced by natural disasters in Thame, Solukhumbu district.

Likewise,  Jagat Bahadur Parki, Nara Bahadur Bista, Narayan Dutta Mishra, Bhuwan Bahadur Sunar, Madan Kumari Shah (Garima), Yubaraj Sharma, and Rajendra Laxmi Gaire highlighted various other contemporary issues, drawing the government attention.