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Nairobi fly infection cases have been detected in Ilam district. Nairobi fly is also known as acid fly.

People suffering from Nairobi fly infection are found at some local levels of the district including Mai, Suryodaya and Ilam municipalities as well as Rong rural municipality.

It is said that the infection is caused from the bite of the Nairobi fly, an insect that looks like a mosquito with red and black abdomen. The infection is transmitted to human from feces of the insects.

Resource person at the District Health Office, Bimal Baral, said people infected from Nairobi fly have started visiting the hospital.

He shared, "A mosquito net should be used during the night to be safe from insect bite." A large number of people infected from Nairobi fly have been found visiting District government hospital and private hospitals as well as pharmacies in recent period.

The infected people develop different symptoms including rashes, itchiness and blisters in skin. Health workers urged the people not to panic as there is a treatment of Nairobi fly infection. Specially, children and elderly people should be protected from the infection, they added.

The National Assembly has passed the 'Acid and other Hazardous Chemical Substances (Regulation) Bill-2079' unanimously.

In today's NA meeting, Home Minister Bal Krishna Khand presented a proposal seeking passage of the Bill.

Responding to the queries raised in course of clause-wise discussion on the bill, which was received with message from the House of Representatives, Minister Khand said the law has been brought to regulate acid and hazardous chemical substances as problem has surfaced due to its misuse though acid and other hazardous chemical substances are necessary in industrial and health sector.

He opined with the passage of the bill, misuse of acid and other hazardous chemical substances would be controlled and necessary action would be taken against those misusing it.

Five bills received with message from the HoR have been tabled at the NA.

NA Secretary Rajendra Phunyal tabled 'Bill to amend some acts relating to criminal offense and criminal procedure-2079 BS', 'Social Security (first amendment) Bill-2079 BS', 'Nepal Police and Province Police (Operation, Supervision and Coordination- first amendment) Bill-2079 BS', 'Drinking Water and Sanitation Bill-2076 BS' and 'Bill designed to amend some acts against sexual violence-2079 BS' in today's meeting.

Discussion would be held on these bills in the NA.

With the rising temperature, Baglung district has recorded dengue of late.

The disease transmitted by the mosquito bite was found among two persons.

A woman and a man reaching the Dhaulagiri Hospital for treatment were contracted dengue, according to medical superintendent, Dr Shailendra B Pokhrel.

The patients had undergone test after they complained of the symptoms similar to the dengue.

With this, they have been admitted in the hospital. The infected ones are from Baglung Municipality-7 and 9. They have however normal condition.

The bite of ADH species of mosquito causes dengue. The health-workers have urged the commoners to pay heed to sanitation in order to remain away from vulnerability.

Wiping out puddles around the residence is imperative to avoid such mosquito.

The family of Dhana Bahadur Shrestha of Phatte, Melamchi Municipality-11, is presently living in a rented room after their house was swept away by last year’s massive flood in the area.

The flood on June 15, 2021 washed away the house the family had built through loan and own limited savings thus rendering it homeless.

The huge flood in the Melamchi River destroyed the house of this low-income family in minutes.

The family is living in a rented room at a house near the suspension bridge connecting Duwachaur. This settlement is also not safe.

“The landslide at Danuwargaun has further increased the risk in Phatte,” Shrestha said of the vulnerability of the Phatte settlement.

Similar is the misfortune of Ramesh Shrestha and Ram Bahadur Danuwar of Phatte.

The same flood on June 15 and the subsequent flooding swept away homes of several families.

Many houses that collapsed in the flooding are in ruin. Many families whose houses were somewhat safe have shifted to other areas taking their belongings with them and living in rented rooms for fear of similar flooding this year too.

Several families have been displaced and moved to Chautara and Kathmandu after their homes and farmland were turned into ruins by that flood.

One year after the devastating flood, the situation in Phatte area in Melamchi is far from settled.

On the one hand there is the suffering of those families who were rendered homeless due to the disaster while there is this constant fear of similar flooding among those families whose homes were somehow spared last year.

The families still living in at-risk settlements as Helambu, Panchpokhari and Melamchi are not in peace.

“I have not had sound sleep even a single night since the onset of the monsoon,” said Ganganath Bhandari of Helambu-2.

His house is close to the Melamchi River and his family is in constant fear of floods.

“My house was luckily spared in the last year’s flood and we are living here. But we are living in constant fear,” he added.

Bimala Bhandari of Kiul, Helambu-2 narrated how her and her neighbours have been evacuating to higher land and spending nights in vigil whenever the water level in the river starts rising at night time.

“Where do you go abandoning the house that you have built through hard-earned money? The house looks okay and you can neither discard it nor live in it with a sense of security,” she expressed their predicament.

Flood affected families yet to get grant promised by government 

The government had announced after last year’s floods that it would provide a relief of Rs 500 thousand to families whose houses were completely destroyed and an additional Rs 300 thousand to those rendered landless due to the flood.

But many of the affected families have not got this amount, the local governments in the area have stated.

Chairman of Helambu Rural Municipality, Nima Gyalzen Sherpa, said they constructed temporary shelters for the flood-affected people with the support of various organisations and the Rural Municipality.

“The federal government should assist providing the grant as well as additional amount to the affected families to buy land plots and build houses,” he said.

The sorrow suffered by the families affected due to the flooding caused by the Yangri rivulet is the same as those families affected by the flood in the Melamchi River.

Several families even do not have the land to construct a house on.

Tashi Lama, Chairperson of Panchpokhari Thangpal Rural Municipality, shared that the sorrow and agony of the flood-affected families has not been alleviated as the federal government did not provide the grants in time.

He strongly called for providing the grant amount to the affected families at the earliest.

The Melamchi Municipality is working to rehabilitate the flood-displaced families and protect the houses and structures that are saved.

Mayor Aitaman Tamang expressed the confidence that the affected families will get the grants soon.

He said, “I hope the reconstruction works will be started soon and the flood-affected families will be able to return to their homes at the earliest.”

Works on river training have started in Melamchi and Helambu with the release, albeit late, of the budget for this purpose.

However, the locals complained that the works are not effective. Indu Danuwar, a local woman, rued that although reconstruction works have started with the allocation of budget for the same, they have not progressed as expected.

According to her, only a handful of the affected families have got the amount.

This monsoon too the flood triggered by rain has started causing damage to the land and settlements.

The locals have demanded the speedy construction of the flood-damaged roads and bridges along with income-generating programmes and safe shelters.

The flood in the Melamchi River last year washed away seven motorable bridges and 11 suspension bridges.

The transportation services were restored by constructing makeshift bridges by laying Hume pipes in the river.

Similarly, the flooding last year destroyed 551 houses in Helambu, Melamchi and Panchpokhari.

Five thousand four hundred ropanis of cultivable land was turned into wasteland. Twenty-six people lost their lives to the flood.

Thirty-three public infrastructures including the national pride project, Melamchi Water Supply Project, and Radio Melamchi suffered massive damages.

The District Administration Office, Sindhupalchowk has said 338 out of the families rendered homeless due to the flood have received the first tranche of the house construction grants.

Chief District Officer Bednidhi Khanal said some amount has been released in the bank account of 156 beneficiaries of Melamchi and 182 beneficiaries of Helambu.

The National Disaster Risk Reduction and Management Authority (NDRRMA) said that funds are being released through the Chief District Officer for reconstruction and rehabilitation of houses damaged by the last year’s floods in Melamchi area.

NDRRMA spokesman Dr Dijan Bhattarai said that a total 1,041 persons were affected in Melamchi and surrounding area due to the monsoon and the rehabilitation works were started from last year itself.

According to him, a total Rs 239 million 891 thousand 250 has been spent so far for the rehabilitation.

Rs 189 million 157 thousand 500 was appropriated in the current fiscal year and Rs 50 million 733 thousand 750 last fiscal year for this purpose.

Similarly, Rs 190 million 258 thousand 750 has been released as first tranche and Rs 7 million 150 thousand in second tranche last fiscal year for construction of temporary shelters for the monsoon.

Sri Lanka’s beleaguered President Gotabaya Rajapaksa has confirmed his resignation, says the prime minister’s office, after protesters stormed both leaders’ official residences, BBC rerported.

Demonstrators are still occupying the presidential palace and prime ministerial residence and have refused to leave until the leaders step down.

The parliament speaker said on Saturday the president would resign on 13 July.

But many protesters were strongly sceptical of the announcement.

On Monday, Prime Minister Ranil Wickremesinghe’s office said in a statement it had been officially informed by Mr Rajapaksa that he would step down on Wednesday. However, there has been no direct word from Mr Rajapaksa.

Under Sri Lanka’s constitution, his resignation can only formally be accepted when he resigns by letter to the parliament speaker – which has yet to happen.

Mr Rajapaksa’s location is currently undisclosed but military sources have told the BBC he is on a navy vessel in Sri Lankan waters.

His brother, former Prime Minister Mahinda Rajapaksa, is on a naval base in the country, the sources say.

Thousands descended on the capital on Saturday demanding the president’s resignation after months of protests, according to BBC.

Mr Rajapaksa has been blamed for the country’s economic mismanagement, which has caused shortages of food, fuel and medicine for months.

Protesters inside the palaces have refused to budge until both leaders leave office.

“Our struggle is not over,” student protest leader Lahiru Weerasekara said, quoted by AFP. “We won’t give up this struggle until [President Rajapaksa] actually leaves,” he said.

“The next couple of days are going to be extremely uncertain times as to see what transpires politically,” political analyst and human rights lawyer Bhavani Fonseka told Reuters, adding that it would be interesting to see if the two leaders “actually resign”.

Political leaders held further meetings to discuss a smooth transition of power on Sunday.

The speaker of Sri Lanka’s parliament told the BBC World Service Newshour programme that a new cross-party coalition government must be formed within a week of the president officially stepping down.

Mahinda Yapa Abeywardena, a member of the president’s governing party, also mostly blamed Covid-19 for the country’s economic woes, BBC reported.

“The Covid pandemic has created havoc in the country economically so we had to spend all our money on vaccinations,” he said.

The House of Representatives (HoR) has passed the ‘Nepal Police and Province Police (Work Operation, Supervision and Coordination) First Amendment Bill, 2022.

The bill has made provisions for the Nepal Police to look after Kathmandu Valley’s security in coordination with the Province Police.

Minister for Home Affairs Bal Krishna Khand had presented a proposal in the House seeking passage of the bill. The House passed the proposal unanimously.

An agreement was reached after clause-wise discussions on the bill in the State Affairs and Good Governance Committee that the Nepal Police shall look after the security in the Kathmandu Valley in coordination with the Province Police.

The HoR had held discussions on a report including this agreement.

Taking part in the discussions on the bill, Khagaraj Adhikari said the report has been prepared on agreement after extensive deliberations on the bill in the Committee and it has been presented in the HoR accordingly.

Mana Kumari GC stressed on the need of strengthening collaboration and co-existence for the implementation of federalism. She drew the Home Minister’s attention towards the demand from the police to incorporate the provision of giving pension in 16 years.

Prem Suwal called attention, saying the amendment bill has been brought without the implementation of the related Act.

Bharat Kumar Shah and Yashoda Gurung Subedi were among the lawmakers participating in the debate over the bill.
Responding to lawmakers’ questions before the passage of the bill in the HoR, Home Minister Khand said that Nepal Police and the Province Police were the security agencies formed for maintaining peace, security and good governance.

He expressed the belief that the Police force would be able to face up challenges in regards to dealing with new types of crimes, searching for the accused and taking action against them.

He made it clear on the occasion that the bill has in no way made the Province Police weaker and the government was conscious towards the possibility of security challenges coming due to the internal and external causes.

Stating that although the concept of Metropolitan Police has been brought in Nepal, he said so far quasi-judicial authority has not been given to it. The Home Minister informed the House of the practice of giving the quasi-judicial powers to the Metropolitan Police in various countries and this could be followed in Nepal as well.

Informing the parliament that the State Affairs and Good Governance Committee has also passed the provision that the Nepal Police shall look after the security of the Kathmandu Valley in coordination with the Province Police, he opined that the Nepal Police going on pension after completing 16 and 18 years of service is positive. He added that necessary study is on in this connection.

Home Minister Balkrishna Khand held a meeting CPN (Maoist Center) Chairman and former Prime Minister Pushpa Kamal Dahal to discuss the fresh bill to amend the ‘Citizenship Act-2006.

The meeting held at Dahal’s residence in Khumaltar of Lalitpur concluded on a positive note, according to the Home Minister’s Secretariat. It may be noted that the government had on August 17, 2018 registered the bill to amend the citizenship act in the parliament.

Later on June 23, 2020 the State Affairs and Good Governance Committee presented it along with its report to the House and the document was replaced by the new one on July 8.

Following the registration of the new bill, the Home Minister continued his political visits and talks in a bid to forge a wide consensus on it.

On Sunday evening, he had visited main opposition CPN (UML) parliamentary deputy leader Subash Chandra Nembang.

The Nepal Rastra Bank (NRB) has sought suggestions for the monetary policy.

The NRB sought the suggestions from the stakeholders for the monetary policy as per NRB Act, 2058 for the fiscal year, 2079/80.

Clause 44 of Section-5 under the NRB Act has given full authority to the NRB to formulate and implement the monetary policy. For this, the economic investigation department at NRB has said anyone can furnish (email) the suggestions at [email protected].

Earlier, the NRB had made public the monetary policy for the existing fiscal year on July 13, 2021. Generally, monetary policy is made public after a month of the budget announcement.