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The census of water birds has started from the Rapti River in Kusum of Rapti Sonari Rural Municipality-1.

Birendra Kandel, Chief Conservation Officer of Banke National Park, shared that the census has been started from the Rapti River in Banke. “Like every year, this year too we have started the census of water birds from the Rapti River,” he said.

During the bird census this year, various species of birds have been captured on camera on the first day itself.

Ornithologist Ram Shahi, who has reached Rapti for the bird census, said that the bird habitats have been disappearing in recent times.

He said that the bird habitats have been disappearing due to human activities in the river, wetlands and water bodies.

Likewise, Conservationist Ashish Chaudhary said that bird censuses have been conducted every winter for the past three years.

The number of water birds is found to be decreasing due to the construction work being done in the bird habitats, the indiscriminate use of pesticides, and the increasing movement of people, he said.

A team including ornithologists, conservationists, park officials, security personnel and others has been mobilized to count birds in the Rapti River since Saturday.

The team will visit Banke National Park, Rapti River, wetlands and watershed to count birds during their stay in Banke, according to Banke National Park authorities.

During the count, the team will visit Kanti Lake in Nepalgunj, Sutaiya Lake in Baijnath, and Mankhola on the border of Bardiya, among other places, shared ornithologist Shahi. 

The Daai or traditional way of threshing paddy is be marked as a festival in Pokhara starting today.

The festival has been organized with the aim of introducing the traditional way of threshing the paddy to the new generation and visiting tourists.

Host, Pokhara Tourism Council, also believes that the festival would help attract tourists even during the current off-season.

The traditional Daai Festival is being held at the Fewa ground in Pokhara Municipal Corporation-23 and aims to preserve the tradition by involving tourists and local youth, said the Council Chair Taranath Pahari.

The tourists in Pokhara will be given a first-hand experience of Nepal's traditional agricultural system.

Furthermore, this festival will be established to pass down the traditional farming system from generation to generation, he said.

The Pokhara Tourism Council has been organizing a paddy transplantation festival every year in the month of Asar in the Lunar calendar to promote tourism by preserving cultivable land, keeping alive the traditional farming system, and the tradition of enjoying Asare Bhaka or songs and Dahi Chiura (yoghurt mixed with curd).

The first Daai Festival is expected to be successful in preserving the productivity of cultivable land within Pokhara Metropolis, currently on the decline due to the fragmentation of the land, said General Secretary of the Council, Jeevan Raj Sapkota. –––

KATHMANDU: Ambassador of Israel to Nepal, Shmulik Arie Bass, paid a courtesy call on Prime Minister KP Sharma Oli at his office in Singha Durbar today.

During the meeting, discussions were held on various issues of bilateral relations and mutual interest as well as on mutual cooperation including information technology, investment, tourism, employment, modernization of agriculture, education and culture, according to the Prime Minister's Private Secretariat.

National Assembly member and former Ambassador of Nepal to Israel, Dr Anjan Shakya, and high officials of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs were present on the occasion. 

Have you received a call from new number or a message of enticement from any new email id? Do not trust the messages received from such phone numbers and email id. Such messages can also make you homeless.

Spokesperson of the Cyber Bureau of the Nepal Police, Superintendent of Police, Deepak Raj Awasthi, urged all not to answer such calls and not to believe such emails, and respond to them.

He requested to adopt special caution towards such calls and emails as people have been cheated after believing in and responding to such emails sent from unknown persons.

SP Awasthi drew serious attention towards the complaints received at Nepal Police Headquarters, Cyber Bureau, about the warning emails sent to various individuals using the name and post of high-ranking officials of the Nepal Police and Cyber Bureau and other offices related to Nepal Police.

Necessary investigation regarding such fake emails is underway, he added.

Similarly, the Cyber Bureau requested all to inform the Bureau by making call at phone numbers mentioned in the authorized website of the Bureau--cyberbureau.nepalpolice.gov.np and writing emails if any suspicious message is received. Issuing a notice, the Cyber Bureau also urged all to be aware about suspicious activities and inform nearby police station.

A recent census conducted by the Chitwan National Park (CNP) found 352 ghariyal crocodiles in Rapti and Narayani rivers.

While the Rapti river had 206 ghariyals, a total of 146 ghariyals were tracked in the Narayani river, according to the Park. Ghariyal is an endangered reptile.

Its existence has been restricted to Nepal and India lately.

Earlier it would be found in Pakisan, Bangladesh, Bhutan and Myanmar Abinash Thapa Magar, Information Officer of the Park, nine surveyors conducted the survey for 14 days starting from December 27, 2024 in these rivers that flow through the Park.

Among the ghariyals found in Rapti river this year, two were male while there were three male ghariyals in Narayani river, Magar said.

The census has shown a slight increase in the number of the reptiles in both rivers compared to the last year. Last year, 152 ghariyals were traced in Rapti river and 113 in Narayani river.

The spike in the number of crocodiles of this species is attributed to the routine release of crocodiles' hatchlings to these rivers, assessed Magar.

CNP had released 20 crocodiles' hatchlings in Rapti river prior to the census, it was shared. So far, 2,018 crocodiles, some juvenile, some sub-adult and some adult ones, have been released in various rivers across the country including Rapti and Narayani, according to the Park.

Crocodiles' eggs are collected from riverbanks and hatched in an artificial condition at the Breeding Centre at Kasara of Chitwan and released in the river later, he explained.

Currently, there are 139 ghariyal crocodiles at the Center.

Tikapur (Kailali), Jan 17: The repair and colouring of the border marker pillars along the Nepal-India border has been started in Kailali district.

The repair of the border markers has been initiated on Thursday with the participation of the security bodies of Nepal and India and in the presence of Chief District Officer of Kailali, Gogan Bahadur Hamal.

The repair and colouring of the border pillars has been started by putting a new coat of paint on the Border Pillar 73/2 at Khakraula, Tikapur Municipality-7.

Out of the seven main border pillars within Tikapur municipality area, only three pillars – pillar number 700, 705 and 707 – are intact whereas the remaining main and auxiliary ones have been swept away by the Karnali and Mohana rivers.

The locals have been calling for protecting the Pillar No 704 as it is in vulnerable situation.

There are seven main border pillars and other auxiliary ones within Tikapur municipality area.

Speaking at the start of repair and maintenance works, CDO Hamal said works on repair, maintenance and colouring of the border pillars is being carried out as it is the responsibility of both nations to keep the border marker pillars on the international border intact and well-maintained.

On the occasion, he urged the security bodies of both countries to pay extra attention to prevention and control of cross-border snuggling of goods, drug trafficking and fugitives from one country hiding in the other through the Nepal-India open border. 

Five ordinances recently got the presidential stamp of approval, giving the ruling coalition some relief at a time when it has been delaying the winter session of the Parliament for quite some time for reasons best known to it.

The five instruments that got the final seal are the Ordinance to Amend Some Nepal Acts related to Promoting Good Governance and Public Service Delivery (2025); the Economic Procedure and Financial Accountability (First Amendment) Ordinance (2025); the Privatization (First Amendment) Ordinance (2025); and the Ordinance to Amend Some Nepal Acts Related to Improving the Economic and Business Environment and Enhancing Investment (2025) and the Ordinance to Amend the Land Act-1964, the Forest Act-2019 and the National Park Act (1973).

Per reports, the President had some reservations vis-a-vis the last ordinance, but they got sorted out, ultimately.     

While the government cites several bills stuck in various parliamentary committees as the reason behind the delay in summoning the session, six opposition parties, including the main opposition—the CPN (Maoist Center)—see a sinister design.

The opposition parties fear that the government is trying to rule through ordinances by avoiding parliamentary scrutiny of its performance.

At a meeting of the opposition parties held at the Center’s parliamentary party office on Wednesday, the opposition camp came down heavily on the government, accusing it of bypassing democratic norms and demanding commencement of the session at the earliest.

On more occasions than one, this daily has stood for parliamentary scrutiny of government moves and against a rule through ordinances. A rule by ordinances undermines the very spirit of a democratic polity worth its name as it gives the already powerful executive more powers to ride roughshod over civil liberties and other cherished democratic values. The ‘Ordinance Raaj’ should be an exception, not the norm. As things stand, there’s no reason why the government should resort to ordinances to run the affairs of the state. 

So, the government should do a course correction, request the President to call the winter session without further delays and stand ready to face parliamentary scrutiny by keeping in mind that delays in convening the session will end up emboldening elements bent on discrediting this polity. 

The Ministry of Health and Population has sent Human Papilloma Virus (HPV) vaccine against cervical cancer in all the seven provinces.

The government is launching a nation-wide programme to administer the HPV vaccine against cervical cancer to 1.688 million girls between 10-14 years old from February 4-18.

Director of Logistic Management Division of the Department of Health Services, Dr Pawan Jung Rayamajhi, said the 1.770 million doses of HPV vaccine was brought to Nepal with the support of Global Alliance for Vaccine and Immunization (GAVI) and sent in all provinces.

Rayamajhi mentioned that GAVI provide the HPV vaccine free of cost to protect girls from cervical cancer.

He added that 275,180 doses of vaccine was sent to Koshi Province, 380,460 doses in Madhes Province, 125,800 doses in Bagmati Hetauda, 218,280 doses in Bagmati Bhaktapur, 130,870 doses in Gandaki Province, 298,910 doses in Lumbini Province, 124,400 doses in Karnali Provinces and 187,120 doses in Sudurpaschim Province.

The provinces would send the vaccines to their respective districts.

Rayamajhi said four women die from cervical cancer each day in Nepal.