Submit your Article

The national flag carrier, Nepal Airlines, is conducting a direct flight from Kathmandu to Riyadh city of Saudi Arabia from April 22. 

Nepal Airlines (NA) informed that the wide-body A 330 plane was launching the flight to Saudi Arabia.

Executive Chairperson of Nepal Airlines Yubraj Adhikari told the Rashtriya Samachar Samiti (RSS) that the conduct of direct flights to Saudi Arabia is a matter of pride for the NA. Additional destinations would be explored and service expanded gradually.

NA has got flight permits for Riyadh, Dammam and Jeddah. 

There will be two Kathmandu-Riyadh-Kathmandu flights in a week. The NA would expand the flights- thrice a week after studying the situation. The NA has been expanding the service in line with the initiative and direction of the Minister for Culture, Tourism and Civil Aviation, Prem Bahadur Ale.

The NA officials including Executive Chairperson had visited Saudi Arabia for flight permission two months back.

For now, the one-way flight costs Rs 37,000, according to NA Spokesperson Archana Khadka. Both the wide-body and narrow-body planes would be used for the flights. 

The inaugural flight would however be done by the wide-body aircraft.

As many as 360!people lost their lives in road accidents in Bagmati Province last year.

According to the Bagmati Province, Traffic Police Office, a total of 365 people lost their lives in 10 districts of the province except for Kathmandu, Bhaktapur and Lalitpur.

Chief of the Office, Superintendent of Police Sushil Singh Rathore, said that a total of 1,647 accidents have occurred where 360 people were killed.

Similarly, 3,389 people were injured in the accidents. Of them, 869 were critically injured and 2,520 suffered minor injuries, according to the Office.

A total of 34 people were killed in 135 accidents from April 14-May 14, 2021, 19 in 87 accidents from May 15-June 14, 2021 and 18 people in 123 accidents from June 15-July 15, 2021.

According to the Office, 24 people lost their lives in 150 accidents from July 16-August 16, 2021, 22 in 118 accidents from August 17-September 16, 2021, 36 in 158 accidents from September 17- October 17, 2021, 41 in 163 accidents from October 18-November 16, 2021, and 35 in 155 accidents from November 17-December 15, 2021.

Likewise, 31 people were killed in 114 road accidents from December 16, 2021-January 14, 2022, 34 in 122 accidents from January 15-February 12, 2022, 34 in 175b accidents from February 13-March 14, 2022 and 32 in 147 accidents from March 15-April 13, 2022.

A total of 2,407 vehicles met with accidents in Bagmati Province in a year. Rathore said that most of the accidents took place due to over speed and road conditions.

The Office has accelerated different activities like public awareness to reduce road accidents, he added.

A total of 84 mountaineering teams have obtained permits till April 13 to climb mountains and peaks in Nepal in this spring season.

These expedition teams have 689 members. Through issue of mountain climbing permits, the government collected royalty of over Rs 373 million.

The expedition teams obtaining permissions for 19 mountains and peaks including the Sagarmatha (Mt Everest) comprise people from different 65 countries including Nepal. Of them, 250 members: 194 males and 56 females) from 45 countries will be attempting to scale the world's tallest peak.

The royalty collection so far from the permission to climb Everest this season is calculated over Rs 310 million. It may be noted that the 2021's spring season witnessed the ever-highest expedition teams (45) for Everest.

The Department of Tourism (DoT) hopes that the number of mountain expedition teams will climb this year too as mountain tourism is vibrant after COVID-19 crisis and climate is favourble for the climbing.

Tourism entrepreneurs say they are somehow enthusiastic to see atmosphere suggesting good indicators in the tourism sector with the slowing down of COVID-19 infection risk.

Outgoing chair of Nepal Mountaineering Association and noted tourism entrepreneur Aang Chhiring Sherpa said, "Though a lesser number of climbers this year relatively to the previous year, it seems Nepal's mountain tourism is attracting more foreign climbers and it is indeed a noteworthy. The number is gradually rising."

Both Nepali and foreign climbers are continuously setting out for this season's expedition to Mt Everest after taking the climbing permit. So far 250 climbers belonging to 31 expedition teams have alone acquired permission for climbing Mt Everest (8848.86 metres).

Similarly, 64 climbers of nine expedition teams have acquired permission to climb Mt Lhotse (8516 metres), 65 climbers from six teams have taken permission for climbing Mt Amadablam (6814 metres) and 38 mountaineers of five expedition teams have got permission to climb Mt Kanchanjangha (8586 metres).

Likewise, 38 mountaineers belonging to five groups have taken permission for climbing Mt Nuptse (7855 metres), 26 climbers of four groups have acquired permission to climb Mt Annapurna (8091 metres), two expedition teams have taken permission for climbing Mt Dhaulagiri (8167 metres), two teams for climbing Milung Chuli, and three mountaineering teams for climbing Bhemdong, Gangapurna and Thapa Peak, the Mountaineering Section of the DoT stated in a press release.

President Bidya Devi Bhandari today decorated distinguished persons, civil servants and individuals from the social sector with various decorations and titles which were announced on the occasion of the Constitution Day (National Day) 2078 BS.

The President had announced these decorations and titles on the occasion of the Constitution Day on September 19, 2021 and on the recommendation of the government.

Accordingly, former Prime Minister Krishna Prasad Bhattarai has been posthumously conferred with the title Nepal Ratna, former chairman of the Council of Ministers Subarna Shumsher Rana (posthumously) and former Prime Minister Jhal Nath Khanal with the title Rastra Gaurab and the politicians Tulsilal Amatya (posthumously), Mangala Devi Singh and Mohan Chandra Adhikari, the democracy fighter Durga Nanda Jha and noted singer and musician Narayan Gopal Gurubacharya, all posthumously, with the title Maha Ujjwal Rastra Deep.

Similarly, politicians Pradip Nepal, Posta Bahadur Bogati (posthumously) and Marshal Julum Shakya (posthumously) were decorated with the title Suprasidhdha Prabala Janasewa Shree and Supreme Court Justice Bishwambhar Prasad Shrestha with the title Ujjwala Kirtimaya Rastradeep.

The investiture ceremony is in progress at the Rastrapati Bhawan as of filing this news since there are around 500 individuals in the list of the decorated personalities.

Vice President Nanda Bahadur Pun, Prime Minister Sher Bahadur Deuba, Acting Chief Justice Deepak Kumar Karki, Speaker of the House of Representatives Agni Prasad Sapkota, National Assembly Chair Ganesh Prasad Timilsina, Home Minister Bal Krishna Khand, among the ministers and high-ranking officials are present in the investiture ceremony at the Rastrapati Bhawan, Sheetal Niwas.

Nepal Panchanga Nirnayak Samiti (Calendar Determination Committee) has decided to seek clarification from 12 calendar publishers for publishing without permission from the committee.

Publishing calendars without approval from the committee is subject to punishment as per the directive approved by the Cabinet meeting on 4 January 2021.

The committee's first meeting decided to seek clarifications orally from the calendar makers in question in the first phase, said committee Executive Director Surya Prasad Dhungel.

The calendars that have been published without the committee's approval include three paatros - Nepal, Muktinath and Jwala - and nine wall calendars - Gorkha Chamber of Commerce and Industry, Helping Society Saving and Credit Cooperatives Limited, Kathmandu Metropolitan City, Tengal, Artha Bridhi Multipurpose Cooperatives Limited, New Road, Kathmandu, Satya Devi Sound System Service, Nilkantha Municipality, Dhading, Timalsina Samaj Central Office, Kathmandu, Dhanprapti Multipurpose Cooperatives Limited, New Road, Kathmandu, Swornim Bhabishya Saving and Credit Cooperatives Limited, Tokha Municipality-7, Kathmandu, Nokpin House, New Road, Kathmandu and Krishna Mohana, Gaushala, Sudurpaschim Province.

Chief Election Commissioner Dinesh Kumar Thapaliya has directed the chief election officers and election officers to conduct the local level elections responsibly and with due sensitivity.

Addressing a province-level training of trainers on operation and management of the Local level Elections-2079 BS organized by the election Commission, Nepal here today, he stressed on the need of making the local level election free, fair and frugal.

Chief Election Commissioner Thapaliya said the Election Commission has forwarded all the processes required by the laws and the constitution for the local level election and the Election

Guidelines and self-declaration provisions will make the candidates more accountable.

He added that the Commission will set up a mechanism to monitor and follow up on the compliance of the election code of conduct.

The Chief Election Commissioner said telephone and internet facilities were accessible at 10,200 polling booths.

Chief Secretary of Province no 1, Dr Ram Prasad Ghimire said the election should be taken as a festival and all should become responsible for conducting it in a free, fair and fear-free environment.

One hundred and twenty officials, including the chief election officers and election officers from 11 districts in the province except Khotang and Okhaldhunga are taking part in the training of trainers.

Speaker Agni Prasad Sapkota has said that right information should be disseminated as voters could be affected due to lack of right information during election.

Inaugurating an interaction on 'Dissemination of Right Information during Election' organised by the National Information Commission here today, Speaker Sapkota said the responsibility of disseminating right and true information had increased.

He opined, "Local-level elections scheduled for May 13 is a great festival of the nation. We all should participate in the election as responsible citizens."

Sating that democracy could not remain alive without election, the speaker said that election was an opportunity for the nation and the people.

Some political forces are still wanting to participate in the election process, he said, expressing the view that maximum efforts possible should be taken to bring such forces into the election process.

Speaker Sapkota said that the government should incorporate all sides in the mega campaign of election as the election is for all.

Similarly, Chief Information Commissioner Mahendra Man Gurung said that true and factual information should be disseminated to the people to clear the rumours.

People, political parties and government bodies should be aware of misleading information.

Prime Minister Sher Bahadur Deuba has underscored the need of formulating a bill on urban development along with utility corridors to carry out the development and construction works in a coordinated manner.

He also called for an end to the tendency of one utility agency to construct structures and the next one to dismantle it after a few days for lack of coordination.

The Prime Minister said this while inaugurating a consultative seminar on the Formulation of National Urban Policy, the Urban Development Act and the Utility Corridor Act here today. The seminar is organized by the Ministry of Urban Development.

He said a pilot project would be initiated in some big cities in the coming fiscal year for the implementation of the concept of a utility corridor.

The PM viewed that it is necessary to maintain population balance through the Tarai Madhes-focussed Consolidated Urban Development Programme. “It (the programme) will be expanded to the municipalities in the mountainous and hilly region to discourage migration from the districts of these regions to the Tarai Madhes,” he said.

Prime Minister Deuba said that the duplicity in the development and construction works would be removed by amending and integrating the legislations related to urban development. He opined that there would be a face change in the country’s urban development with the formulation of the Act related to the utility corridor.

According to him, the government will address the problems and challenges seen in urbanization while increasing access to advanced national urban infrastructures through the new urban policy.

“This will help in the proper resource mobilization for urban development as well as in ensuring inter-governmental coordination and urban good governance,” the PM asserted.

Stating that Nepal is among the rapidly urbanizing countries of the world, he said urbanization played a role in the overall development of the country including its economic, social and political development.

PM Deuba stated that although Nepal has been making efforts for systematic urbanization since the Second Five-Year Plan, the cities in the country have not developed as expected. He stressed the need of developing systematic, clean and beautiful new cities and at the same time manage the required infrastructures in the existing old cities.

“It is necessary to urgently start concrete works to bring improvements in the living standards of the people living in the urban areas,” he said, adding that the Ministry of Urban Development has prepared the draft policy incorporating various dimensions of urban development, including major challenges, investment in infrastructures, urban governance requirements etc.

The Prime Minister explained that the draft policy emphasized a coordinated plan formulation and implementation by the three tiers of the government through innovation in the development of advanced, balanced urban systems and investment.