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Prime Minister Pushpa Kamal Dahal has expressed his best wishes to all Nepali sisters and brothers at home and abroad on the occasion of New Year 2023. Extending his best wishes through social media, the Prime Minister has wished that the year 2023 brings happiness, peace and prosperity to everyone. He has also called for collective action for the advancement and greater prosperity of Nepal and the Nepali people.  

Preparations have been made for the grand inauguration of newly constructed Pokhara Regional International Airport. The Pokhara Regional international airport is going to be officially brought into operation from January 1, 2023, the first day of English New Year. According to Pokhara International Airport Civil Aviation Office, Prime Minister Pushpa Kamal Dahal is scheduled to inaugurate the airport amidst a grand ceremony. Deputy Prime Minister and Finance Minister Bishnu Poudel, top leaders of different political parties, industrialists, and tourism entrepreneurs would attend the inauguration, said Director of Pokhara International Airport, Bikram Gautam. All the preparations for the inauguration of the airport have reached the final phase, he added.  All crew members and passengers of the first plane landing at Pokhara International Airport would be welcomed with garlands, according to the Pokhara International Airport Civil Aviation Office. Similarly, the inauguration programme would start from 11:00 am and the celebration programme is scheduled after 2:00 pm. The inauguration programme would be made grand by organising different processions, fashion shows at coordination of Pokhara Metropolitan City and Pokhara Tourism Council, mentioned Gautam. Pokhara metropolis has said a variety of programmes as cultural tableaus of various ethnic communities, felicitation programme, cultural performances and celebration would be organized on the occasion. Various personalities, including Shankar Raj Pathak, who conceptualized the construction of an international airport in Pokahara, would be felicitated. The Pokhara Metropolitan City had carried out a cleaning programme from the Lakeside up to Kotre on December 28 targeting the inauguration. Stating that the Pokhara International Airport is a matter of pride for the city, Mayor Dhanaraj Acharya insisted on making the inauguration programme grandiose and systematic. “The Pokhara International Airport is not only the dream of the Pokharelis (dwellers of Pokhara) for many decades, but it is the ‘lifeline’ of the entire western region of the country. The efficient operation of the airport is going to be important,” he said, adding that the metropolis is carrying out works to make the inauguration a grand occasion. Mayor Acharya informed that various sub-committees have been formed for this.  According to him, the airport is going to be a milestone for the promotion of tourism not only in Pokhara but the entire country, so the message of its inauguration should be spread throughout the world. The direct air connectivity with international cities would contribute more in the promotion of Pokhara. All the domestic flights would be conducted from the Pokhara airport from the day of its opening. The private airlines companies have made preparations including setting up offices for starting flights from the new airport. The Buddha Air, Saurya Airlines and Yeti Airlines have already conducted successful test flights. Construction of an international airport in Pokhara has been a dream of the Pokhara folks for five decades and it has been realized now. The operation of the international airport has elated the Pokhara dwellers and the tourism entrepreneurs and kindled hope that it would open the door to prosperity of Pokhara. “Pokhara is a major tourism destination in the country and the tourism industry is definitely going to be benefitted from the operation of the international airport. Hence, the excitement especially among the tourism entrepreneurs here,” said Pom Narayan Shrestha, President of Pokhara Tourism Council. He expressed the confidence that tourist arrival to the town will increase with the operation of the international airport, giving a boost to the tourism sector marred by COVID pandemic. Shrestha said the tourism entrepreneurs, investors and businessmen are all happy in the hope that it will revive tourism. The Pokhara Regional International Airport is constructed by the Chinese construction company – CAMCE. The airport was handed over to Nepal during the visit of Chinese Foreign Minister Wang Yi in April last year. Some works of the airport were remaining at that time.

Prime Minister Pushpa Kamal Dahal has directed Deputy Prime Minister and Minister for Finance Bishnu Poudel not to implement the decision to impose excise duty on mobile phones brought by Nepali migrant workers while returning home. According to Prime Minister’s press coordinator Surya Kiran Sharma, the Prime Minister instructed the concerned authority to keep with the previous provision in regard to the mobile phones brought from abroad for personal use. Nepali migrant workers have criticized the government decision to charge a tax up to 18 percent on a mobile phone brought from abroad. Earlier, the Nepal Telecommunications Authority (NTA) decided to implement the Mobile Device Management System (MDMS) beginning from today to discourage the grey market of smartphones. As per the provision, anyone found carrying smartphones more than one while returning from abroad will be imposed excise duty up to 18 percent and in the case of the possession of more than two sets, the third will be seized by the customs officials. The NTA had called for updating the imported mobile phone sets and the mobile phones brought into the country for personal use, but not registered in the MDMS system, or those sets not in use in Nepal prior to September 16, in the system following the declaration of the customs.

The country’s weather is likely to remain partly to generally cloudy in the coming week. The influence of westerly wind is likely to cause partial to general changes in the mountainous belt and bring light snowfall in the hilly areas. The Department of Hydrology and Meteorology said that light rain is possible at one or two places of hilly region of Province 1, Gandaki Province, Karnali Province and Sudur Paschim Province while chances of light snowfall are at a few places of high mountainous region of the country today. The Department further said that there will be light partly to generally cloudy in the hilly regions of the country while the weather will be partly cloudy to mainly fair in the rest of the country tonight. Light rain is possible at one or two places of hilly regions of Province 1, Gandaki Province, Karnali Province and Sudur Paschim Province Chances of light snowfall at a few places of high mountainous region of the country tonight, according to the Department. The Department has urged one and all to remain cautious of the complications brought out by the changes in weather conditions. According to the recent updates, today the Kathmandu Valley recorded a minimum temperature of 4.0 degree Celsius and maximum 16.2 degree Celsius.

Nepal Rastra Bank (NRB) is to issue repo worth Rs 50 billion for managing the liquidity in bank and financial institutions. The Central Bank is issuing the repo for liquidity management as a large amount of money would go out from the banking system in the form of revenue upon payment of the first installment of the income tax on January 14. NRB is auctioning the repo today. The repo is being issued for a total 45 days. The Category A, B and C banks and financial institutions can participate in the bidding process. The repo will mature on February 12, according to the NRB.  

The influence of westerly wind is likely to cause partial to general changes in the mountainous belt and bring light snowfall in the hilly areas of the Province-1 and Sudurpaschim Province. Likewise, partial changes would occur in the mountainous belt of other provinces owing to the effects in the country's weather systems, said the Department of Hydrology and Meteorology. The Department further informed that light snowfall was likely to take place in the hilly region of the province-1 in the coming 24 hours. Some parts of Terai would see foggy weather conditions which may also affect the normal lives. The Department has urged one and all to remain cautious of the complications brought out by the changes in weather conditions. According to the recent updates, today Kathmandu Valley would have a minimum 3.8 degree Celsius and maximum 18.5 degree Celsius.  

Biratnagar Metropolitan City Mayor Nagesh Koirala has underscored the need of coordination among all the three tiers of the government for prevention and control of human trafficking. Addressing an interaction organized by Maiti Nepal Morang at the metropolis' auditorium today, Mayor Koirala said that the human trafficking can be stopped through the collective initiatives of the governmental and non-governmental organisations, together with the three tiers of the government. He also stressed on the need for coordination among the organizations working in the women and children's sector. Officiating Chief District Officer of Morang Sharad Pokharel said that prevention and control of human trafficking has become challenging due to the open border. Coordinator of Maiti Nepal, Morang, Binod Pokharel, presented a report about the situation of January to December 2022. During the period, 136 people were saved from being trafficked, he said. Coordinator Pokharel added that out of 47 people, who were lost during the period, only 11 were found. Similarly, a person was rescued and a case was filed against a person for his/her connection to human trafficking during the period. A total of 105 cases of domestic violence were recorded, he mentioned. Chief Administrative Officer of the Metropolis, Bishnu Prasad Koirala, Deputy-Chief of the District Coordination Committee, Morang, Usha Jha, Morang Police Chief, Shanti Raj Koirala, among others expressed their views on the occasion.

The Nepal Electricity Authority (NEA) in Chitwan has asked 14 different internet companies to clear the rent for the use of utility poles in the district’s main city areas. The internet companies have not renewed their contract agreement though they are supposed to renew their contract within the first three months of the fiscal year, Chief of NEA Distribution Centre Bharatpur Rajendra Poudel said. “No company has visited us to renew the contract till this time (in the current fiscal year).” The NEA has been charging Rs 9,000 for one kilometer in the metropolitan city and Rs 7,000 in the municipality and rural municipality area, Poudel shared. He further added that the NEA office would start a campaign calling upon the internet companies to renew their contract with the NEA for the use of electric poles. The NEA is preparing to seize the goods and equipment if the internet companies refuse to renew their contract. In the last fiscal year, the internet service providing companies had paid Rs 18.5 million to the NEA for the use of poles. This year, they are expected to pay some Rs 20 million, Poudel added. The NEA Distribution Centre Bharatpur oversees most of the wards of Bharatpur Metropolitan City and Ichchhakamana Rural Municipality.