Martyrs' Week begins, tributes paid to Martyr Shashtri

Martyr Shukraraj Shashtri was remembered on the first day of Martyrs Week today. A program was held at local Pachali of Teku where Shashtri attained martyrdom during the then Rana regime for his fight for democracy. The program was organized by the Kathmandu Metropolitan City Office. Martyrs’ Week is observed from Magh 10-16 in the Nepali month each year in commemoration to all those people who sacrificed their lives to devolve the State power confined to the certain families to the people. Kathmandu Metropolis mayor Balendra Shah, deputy-mayor Sunita Dangol and metropolis chief administrative officer Basanta Adhikari among others laid wreaths on the statue of Shashtri on the occasion. Shastri, who was born in Benares, India in 1950 BS, completed his primary education in Dehradun, India. After he came back to Nepal, Shastri got involved in the movement against the tyrannical Rana regime. He was arrested on the charge of speaking against the Rana rule in a people’s gathering at local Indra Chowk on Mangsir 13, 1994 BS. After three years, he was executed on Magh 10, 1997 BS by hanging from a tree at Pachali. Dharmabhakta Mathema, Ganga Lal Shrestha and Dashrath Chand, the noted fighters for democracy, were executed subsequently on different dates.  

DPM Shrestha holds discussion with Indian officials

Deputy Prime Minister (DPM) and Minister for Physical Infrastructure and Transport (MoPIT) Narayan Kaji Shrestha held a discussion with Indian officials on the progress and problems surrounding the projects funded by the Government of India. During the courtesy meeting in Kathmandu today, the minister urged the Indian team including Additional Secretary of the Ministry of External Affairs of India Prabhat Kumar to expedite physical infrastructure projects funded by the Indian government. Minister Shrestha took concern about the Janakpur-Jayanagar Railway funded by India and the projects constructed with loans from Export-Import Bank of India (EXIM Bank). He urged secretary Kumar for felicitating the projects, said the MoPIT Secretary Keshab Kumar Sharma. The meeting also focused on the Kathmandu-Raxaul railway, and other projects, he added. The designing of the railway in detail is underway. It was also agreed to constantly continue such discussion, and seek all available ways to resolve problems, it has been said.

PM Dahal floats proposal to cut down expenditures of provinces

Prime Minister Pushpa Kamal Dahal today said he has floated a proposal to cut expenditure burden and the number of ministries of provinces. So, ministries of some provinces have been cut down accordingly, he said during a meeting with a team of ministers, lawmakers and political leaders of Sudurpaschim Province led by its Chief Minister Rajendra Singh Rawal. The meeting was held at the PM's official residence in Baluwatar this morning. "Provinces themselves are autonomous. The constitution has clarified their work. The center cannot interfere with their authority and we do not do so either." Stating that he was well aware about people's complaints that administrative expenditure of provinces had increased, and their fiscal good governance could not maintain due to the large number of their structures, he stressed the need for making them impartial and economic. "In the meeting of the ruling coalition partners, I have put forward a proposal to make provinces efficient and maintain fiscal good governance. All leaders including CPN-UML Chairman KP Sharma Oli have agreed on it," he said. It was also decided to allow only 10 percent of the total number of lawmakers in the respective provincial assembly to become a minister, he said. Some provinces have slashed the number of their ministries accordingly, he said. "The act will keep fiscal good governance, and address people's complaints towards provinces." There should be competition among provinces at policy level and in the maximum mobilization of resources, he said. "We do have resources and potentialities in abundance. The trend of provinces being dependent on the center should be ended. For that, there should be competition among provinces to manage policy, good governance, and efficient management and for the mobilization and maximum utilization of local resources." The PM said he would soon embark on a field-inspection of the national pride projects and other big ones.  

Prime Minister Dahal congratulates Dr Ruit for ISA award

Prime Minister Pushpa Kamal Dahal has said the government would seriously take the expectations of Dr Sanduk Ruit from the State. Prime Minister Dahal said this while congratulating senior ophthalmologist Ruit for receiving Bahrain's prestigious ISA Award. Prime Minister Dahal took to twitter this morning to congratulate Dr Ruit. In the message, he said, "I extend my heartfelt congratulations to senior eye specialist Dr Ruit for obtaining the prestigious ISA Award. His contributions to human welfare are appreciated and respected. The government would seriously note his expectations from the State". It may be noted that Dr Ruit said he was closely observing how the government would take his recent achievement. In recognition of his contributions to the human service through eye treatment, the Bahrain government has decided to present him the ISA Award bagging a cash prize of Rs 130 million.

NC demands government's ruling on plane crash

Nepali Congress has demanded that the incumbent government issues a ruling relating to the Yeti Airlines aircraft crash in Pokhara on Sunday. Taking time in today's meeting of the House of Representatives, NC Chief Whip Ramesh Lekhak demanded so through the Speaker. He expected that the government would deliver its view on the crash that killed all 72 people onboard the plane. "The government should put its view on the incident even by postponing the meeting's agenda," he said. Stating that the government cannot be apathetic towards the Parliament, he, through the Speaker, asked it to issue a ruling on the matter.

PM Dahal meets relatives of Pokhara plane crash victims

Prime Minister Pushpa Kamal Dahal met the families of the passengers who lost their lives in the Yeti Airlines plane crash in Pokhara at the Tribhuvan University Teaching Hospital in Maharajgunj on Thursday. On the occasion, PM Dahal directed the concerned authority to speed up the post-mortem, make it scientific and hand over the mortal remains to the families at the earliest. The PM's Secretariat said that the Prime Minister urged the hospital administration to ask help from the government to complete the work of identifying the bodies promptly. The Executive Chief also observed the bodies kept there for identification and met with the kin of the deceased. Extending condolences to the families of the crash victims, he said that he has instructed the officials concerned to speed up the body handover process. A Yeti Airlines plane that was flying to Pokhara from Kathmandu on January 15 crashed in Pokhara before landing, killing all 72 people on board. The government has formed a high-level investigation commission to probe the incident. The commission has already started its works.  

Yeti Airlines plane crash deals major blow to tourism industry: TAAN

Trekking Agencies’ Association of Nepal (TAAN) has said the Yeti Airlines plane crash in Pokhara, the country’s tourist hub, on Sunday dealt a powerful blow to Nepal’s aviation and tourism sectors. Issuing a press statement today, TAAN general secretary Binod Sapkota said the crash caused an irreparable loss to the domestic tourism industry that was trying to revive from the implications of COVID-19 pandemic. Flights at Pokhara Regional International Airport were recently launched following its upgradation from the national to international standard and the crash took place at the country’s tourist hub was itself a major blow to the entire domestic tourism business, the TAAN concludes. TAAN President Nilhari Bastola demanded the state take significant measures to ensure that Nepal’s sky and aviation service are safe.  He advised the state’s responsible bodies to take measures for the prevention of such incidents in the days to come. The plane with the call sign 9N-ANC ATR-72-500 that had left Kathmandu for Pokhara on January 15 carrying 72 people, including 68 passengers and four crew members, crashed on the Seti River Gorge. NAC expresses grief Office bearers of the Nepal Airlines Corporation (NAC) are saddened by the death of scores of people in the crash, according to the NAC. The NAC in a statement today offered its heartfelt condolences to those killed in the tragedy while wishing that the bereaved families may have patience and strength to endure the incident. It has termed the crash as the saddest one in the history of Nepal's aviation. It has expected the findings of facts relating to the incident while urging effective investigations so as to make the country's aviation sector safe and reliable. HAN mourns The Hotel Association Nepal (HAN) has expressed its sorrow over the crash. "The Association and all other organizations under it are saddened by the incident. In this time of sorrow, we offer our condolences to all passengers and crew members killed in the tragedy, and to the bereaved families," read a statement issued by the HAN. Stating that the accident has had negative impacts not only on the country's aviation sector, but the whole nation and tourism sector as it has spread the message at national and international levels that Nepal's sky is unsafe, it said it was the responsibilities of all of us including the state and stakeholders to make the country's sky safe.

Yeti Airlines plane crash: 26 bodies identified

The bodies of 26 passengers on board the Yeti Airlines aircraft that crashed in Seti gorge on Sunday have been identified. Among the 67 dead bodies taken to Pokhara Institute of Health Sciences, 26 have been identified so far, said District Police Office Kaski spokesperson Gyan Bahadur Khadka. Khadkda said that the relatives have been requested to come to receive the bodies that have been identified. ALSO READ: 69 dead, 3 missing in plane crash at Seti gorge