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After a day of protests at the Kalinga Institute of Industrial Technology University in Odisha that eventually prompted the Nepal Embassy to intervene, police in Bhubaneswar Monday arrested a third-year student in connection with the suicide of a 20-year-old batchmate.

Police identified the victim as Nepal resident Prakriti Lamsal (20) and the accused as Lucknow resident Advik Srivastava (21).

The incident had led to a storm on campus after around 500 students from Nepal started protests and blocked the main road leading to the varsity. In response, the university decided to send them back home – a move that only escalated the tempers and forced the administration to eventually backtrack, The Indian Express reported.

The university’s U-turn was prompted by the Nepal Embassy getting involved and the country’s Prime Minister K P Sharma Oli dispatching two officers there.

Police say Lamsal, who was pursuing a B.Tech in computer science from the university, was found dead in her hostel room. The accused was detained from outside the airport on Sunday evening and has been booked under section 108 of the BNS (abetment of suicide).

“On Sunday evening, we received a complaint from one Siddhant Sigdel that his cousin had committed suicide in her hostel room. The police team immediately visited the spot and seized the body. Our scientific team has collected her laptop and phone as demanded by the agitating student,” said Bhubaneswar DCP Pinak Mishra.

The woman’s family has landed in Bhubaneswar to collect her body following the post-mortem.

According to the FIR, the complainant suspected the accused was blackmailing his cousin, which led her to take the extreme step.

Late Sunday evening, irate students from Nepal blocked the road near the KIIT campus, alleging that the university authorities took no action when the student reached out to the International Relations Office (IRO) at the university, flagging harassment by her batchmate.

Speaking to The Indian Express, KIIT registrar Jnyana Ranjan Mohanty confirmed that she had lodged a complaint with the IRO over “misbehaviour” by the accused.

“The IRO officials then called both students, counselled them and also warned the accused not to do so in the future,” Mohanty told The Indian Express. He said they have not kept anything in writing from the accused.

Earlier in the day, Mohanty had claimed that the victim took the extreme step because of a “strained relationship” with the accused. The university, in a statement, also claimed that they were in a relationship.

As protests escalated by Monday, the university authorities announced “sine die” for all international students from Nepal and directed them to vacate the campus immediately. Over 500 students from Nepal were asked to board buses and were dropped at various railway stations, from where they were asked to head home.

However, after the Nepal Embassy weighed in on the development and Nepal’s PM expressed concern, the university withdrew its decision and allowed students to remain on campus. Sources said the state government also asked the university to allow the students to remain in the hostel.

"The KIIT administration has taken all-out efforts to restore normalcy in the campus and hostels to resume the academic activities. An appeal is made to all our Nepali students who have or plan to leave the campus to return and resume the classes,” read a statement issued by the university.

The Nepal embassy in New Delhi, in a statement, said they have contacted the university administration and relevant representatives regarding the situation of the students, according to Indian Express.

The embassy urged the academic institution to ensure the safety of students from Nepal residing there, and the institution assured that the students can remain in the hostel.

The Nepal PM, in a post on X, said the embassy has dispatched two officers to counsel students. He also said arrangements have been made to ensure they have the option to either remain in their hostel or return home, based on their preference.

According to the university website, KIIT offers education to around 40,000 students from across India and 2,000 international students from 65 countries.

Indian Embassy in Kathmandu has said that it is deeply saddened by the tragic death of a Nepali student at the Kalinga Institute of Industrial Technology (KIIT) in Bhubaneswar, Odisha.

The Embassy extends its heartfelt condolences to the family of the deceased during this difficult time, the Embassy of India, Kathmandu said in a press release on February 17.

The Embassy has been in touch with the authorities of KIIT as well as the Odisha State Government.

The Embassy has been informed that the local authorities have initiated an investigation into the unfortunate incident.

KIIT has also issued an appeal to the Nepali students to return to the campus, resume their classes, and stay in the hostels.

It has also assured that academic losses of the students will be taken care of by the Institute, according to the press release.

"Nepali students studying in India form an important facet of the enduring people to people links between the two countries. The Government of India will continue to take all necessary steps to ensure the well-being of the Nepali students in India," the Embassy has stated.

There’s a quaint little bookshop in Bhanimandal, Lalitpur, called Wisdom Books and Aroma Shop that sells books, notebooks, candles, incense, and various other handicraft items. It also has a small cafe on the first floor where you can get some tea or coffee and light snacks. It’s a place I often go to if I want to buy a little something for someone or if I’m in the area and have some time to spare. 

During one of my visits, I chanced upon a cookbook called ‘The Ayurvedic Cookbook’ by Gita Ramesh. It was on the counter and it was a slim volume. For a while now, I’ve been into finding and collecting interesting cookbooks so that I can learn to cook a variety of dishes. The copy I was holding in my hand turned out to be a third edition published in 2016. I thought to myself if the book had to be reprinted three times, it must be good. The bookstore owner also said he and his wife had been following some recipes in the book and that the meals were simple and satisfying. 

The Ayurvedic Cookbook is a basic cookbook. The recipes, divided into sections like salads, soups and mains, are simple, so simple that I often wondered why the author had even bothered including something like that in a book. I later realized that we often forget the joys of simple meals and having it written down somewhere reminds us to indulge in them whenever you can. My mother, who has been cooking and feeding her family for over 35 years, says she will have forgotten about a certain recipe for months, only to be reminded of it out of the blue one day. 

The problem in regular cooking is that you tend to make the same dish over and over again instead of trying to cook a particular vegetable in different ways. The Ayurvedic Cookbook will teach you to use everyday ingredients in a variety of ways and in different forms. I learnt a great recipe for a banana cucumber salad that I really enjoyed. I was initially doubtful about the combination but surprisingly bananas and cucumbers go really well together. The papaya salad was another recipe that I liked. I don’t like papaya and I would have probably never known how great it can be in salad form if it hadn’t been for this book. 

The cookbook also has a nice section on soups. There are recipes for the regular tomato soup and mixed vegetable soup as well as more elaborate ones that teach you how to incorporate oats in your soup and even make a tasty okra soup. As for the mains, you will learn to cook different vegetables in interesting ways. The curry recipes in the book result in light and flavorful dishes. Basically, all the recipes in the book can be replicated using simple ingredients that you can readily find in your fridge and pantry. 

As a practitioner of Ayurveda, Ramesh has also included a section of diet plans at the end of the book for weight management and healthy living. There’s a daily diet plan section, with different recipes for breakfast, lunch, and dinner, for 12 days. The good thing is that all the recipes require minimal preparation and cooking time so they aren’t difficult to follow. In the introduction to the book, Ramesh says that she has kept in mind that the recipes in the book are suitable for all body types. The aim, she says, is to offer readers a balanced diet that is delicious and meets all their nutritional requirements.

What I really liked about the book was the informative section of different spices, fruits, and vegetables. I have found that it helps to educate yourself about the variety of ingredients in your kitchen so that you can decide what you want to add to your food to suit what you might want and need at that given moment. You are also able to use food as medicine if you understand the properties of different herbs and spices. In that way, The Ayurvedic Cookbook arms you with a lot of helpful information while teaching you to use basic ingredients to whip up simple and wholesome meals. 

The Ayurvedic Cookbook

Gita Ramesh

Publisher: Roli Books

Published: 2013

Pages: 95, Hardcover

The price of gold has increased by Rs 700 per tola in the domestic market on Tuesday.

According to the Federation of Nepal Gold and Silver Dealers’ Association, the precious yellow metal is being traded at Rs 169, 400 per tola today. It was traded at Rs 168, 700 per tola on Monday.

Similarly, the silver is being traded at Rs 1, 970 per tola today.

Ambassador Shmulik A. Bass, along with officials from Nepal’s Ministry of Finance and Sana Kisan Bikas Laghubitta Bittiyasanstha (SKBBL), visited the agricultural farm of Youddha Prasad Neupane, a prominent Israel returnee student and agripreneur, on Sunday in Jeevanpur, Dhading.

The visit offered firsthand insights into Neupane's journey,challenges and best practices in agribusiness enterprise using Israeli Agro-technologies.

Neupane is an alumnus of the Learn and Earn Program, 2013-2014 batch of Arava International Center for Agriculture Training (AICAT), Israel.

He has significantly expanded his farm after returning from Israel and has successfully applied Israeli Agricultural technologies- including drip-irrigation with automation, fertigation system, mulching techniques, and high-tech nursery. Notably, he invests only 20% of his income in Israeli technology while achieving remarkable results.

 Farmers from neighboring areas are learning from his techniques, and he continues to inspire the local agricultural community. 

This visit underscores the strong agricultural cooperation between Nepal and Israel and highlights the success of Learn and Earn Programs in empowering Nepali farmers with innovative and modern farming techniques. 

More than 4, 000 students from farming families, associated with SKBBL and other institutions, have been trained in Israel under Learn and Earn Program in modern agriculture since 2001.

Youddha Prasad Neupane was also declared the 2nd Krishi Tara winner and awarded with a cheque of Rs 500,000 along with the winner's certificate. 

Foreign Minister Arzu Rana Deuba and Minister of State for Foreign Affairs of the United Arab Emirates (UAE) Ahmed Ali Al Sayegh held a meeting in Muscat, Oman today.

They met on the sidelines of the 8th Indian Ocean Conference in Muscat, Oman.

During the meeting, the two leaders discussed various issues of Nepal-UAE relations along with labour, tourism and economic development and the needed cooperation for climate change risk mitigation.

On the occasion, Minister Rana thanked the government of UAE for providing employment to Nepal's labour force, Minister Rana's personal secretariat said.

Likewise, the State Minister of the UAE appreciated the immense contribution of Nepalis in socio-economic development of the UAE Likewise, they held talks on deepening cooperation on tourism, economic development and trade as well as the future possibilities for investments.

Minister Rana's secretariat shared that Minister Rana proposed to State Minister Sayegh to begin direct flights from Dubai to Pokhara International Airport.

In response, the state minister has promised to begin technical study and advance the plans for direct flights.

Likewise, she extended an invitation to the UAE for the participation in the Sagarmatha Sambaad to be held in Kathmandu from 16 to 18 May by stating that the ‘Sagarmatha Sambaad’ is to discuss pressing issues of regional and global importance including the climate change.

Prime Minister KP Sharma Oli has said the government is consistently working towards legal and institutional reforms for creating employment by promoting the investment environment in the country.

Responding to the queries by lawmakers in today's meeting of the House of Representatives, he said that all works have been carried out accordingly giving priority to programs to increase production, productivity and employment to provide employment opportunities to the unemployed youth.

"The government is providing concessional loans up to Rs 2.5 million to startup enterprises to create employment opportunities in the country. In the current fiscal year, 1,000 people are to get concessional loans through this programme," he said.

Stern action will be taken against anyone misappropriating foreign currency He said action would be taken as per the law if anyone was found misappropriating foreign currency illegally.

He clarified that legal action would be taken as per the Foreign Exchange Regulation Act, 2021 BS.

The PM said that however arrangements have been made to facilitate investment exchange in the information technology sector. "Article 25 of the Constitution of Nepal states that every citizen shall have the right to acquire, enjoy, sell, obtain commercial benefits and carry out other transactions of property subject to the law under the right to property," he said adding that the ceiling of property has been determined with the provision of land ceiling and progressive tax system in the relevant laws.

Stating that the provision of free and compulsory education up to the basic level and free education up to the secondary level is already under implementation as per the constitution of Nepal, the Prime Minister said providing the university education could also be made free in future as permitted by the means and resources at disposal.

He made it clear that no provisions for giving capital punishment to people convicted of corruption could be made as Article 16 of the Constitution of Nepal, in the context of living with dignity, states that no law shall be made to punish anyone with death penalty and as Nepal is a state party to the Second Optional Protocol of the International Covenant on Civil and Political Rights.

Stressing that the present government is committed to implementing the concept of 'Prosperous Nepal, Happy Nepali', keeping in mind the issue of securing the goal of socialism-oriented economy through high economic growth, equitable distribution and equal access to development, the PM said various social security programs have been used to give shape to socialism.

PM Oli added that the Social Security Fund has also been developed as an important mechanism for social security. Govt serious on completing 'national pride' projects on time Prime Minister Oli also said on the occasion that the government was serious about completing big projects of national pride and national priority on time.

He said he was serious and sensitive about the timely completion of big projects of national pride and national priority, including Sikta Irrigation and Babai Irrigation Project. "Out of the outstanding liabilities of these projects to be paid at the end of the fiscal year 2080/81, Rs 22.43 billion has been paid so far,” he added.

According to him, the project planning outline has been approved and implemented in consultation with the National Planning Commission and other ministries concerned to improve the development pattern, speed and culture.

Prime Minister Oli expressed the confidence that with this modality the projects would be completed effectively on time by utilizing limited resources efficiently.

He said that he has been monitoring the projects from the 'Action Room' at the Office of the Prime Minister and Council of Ministers and facilitating their timely completion. 

Foreign Minister Arzu Rana Deuba and Minister of State for Foreign Affairs of Qatar Sultan bin Saad bin Sultan Al Muraikhi held a meeting in Muscat, Oman today.

They met on the sidelines of the 8th Indian Ocean Conference in Muscat, Oman.

During the meeting, they discussed various issues of Nepal-Qatar relations, bilateral interests and mutual benefits, as well as scholarships for Nepali students and skilled technical manpower in Qatar.

On the occasion, Minister Rana urged Minister Muraikhi to help in the release of Nepali youth Bipin Joshi, who is under the control of the Hamas group.

Foreign Minister Rans praised the role played by the Qatari government in brokering a ceasefire and peace talks between the Israeli government and Hamas, and called for a special initiative for the release of Bipin, who is under the control of Hamas.

Earlier, Minister Rana had made the same request in a phone call with Mohammed bin Abdulaziz Al-Khulaifi, Minister of State for Foreign Affairs of Qatar.

Khulaifi is the chief negotiator and mediator in peace talks between the Israeli government and Hamas.

The Nepal government has been making diplomatic efforts for Bipin's release since last year.

Minister Rana has been urging for Bipin's release through the United Nations, international and regional forums and meetings.

Bipin was abducted by the Hamas group in an attack on Israeli soil in October 2023.