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Krishna Tamrakar became a household name when radio ruled the roost and TV culture was still in its infancy in Nepal. She ruled the airwave for six decades as a news broadcaster and program presenter. Born in Banepa, Kavrepalanchok, Tamrakar was 12-year-old when she left for India with social worker Tulsi Mehar Shrestha for schooling. She got her BA degree in Nepal and joined Radio Nepal as a deputy editor and news presenter for a Hindi bulletin in 1962. Tamrakar made a switch to a Nepali language presenter four years after joining the state-owned radio station when King Mahendra banned the Hindi language broadcasts. She was passionate about her radio job for which she even turned down the offer of becoming a gazetted officer. When Tamrakar started her radio career, she was among a handful of women working in the media industry; women presenters were rare during those days. While working for Radio Nepal, Tamrakar also got the opportunity to take part in various training sessions. In 1971, she left for the UK in order to take part in a yearlong training on radio production organized by the British Broadcasting Corporation (BBC). She also trained in Germany for two years to hone her skills as a radio presenter. Tamrakar’s work and dedication as a radio journalist did not go unnoticed. In 1999, she was awarded by Albert II, the former king of Belgium, with the Global 500 Roll of Honour, an award instituted by the United Nations Environment Program, for her program on environment. “She was loved by everyone,” says Micheal Chand, a former colleague of Tamrakar. “One would not expect someone this successful and yet modest and humble at the same time.” Despite being much senior and experienced, Chand says Tamrakar was always appreciative of him and other junior staff members at Radio Nepal. “I would tell her how grateful I was to have learned so much from her. And she would reply in her ever so soft and humble voice that she too learned a lot from me.” Chand adds Tamrakar was compatible with everyone, and she never showed any hint of pride despite her immense talent and success as a radio journalist. Tamrakar retired from Radio Nepal in 1983, but she was always involved in various other works, which was a great joy for her listeners across the country. “She had her own unique way of presenting news, which everyone loved,” says Chand. “She was always active even after her retirement.” Tamrakar maintained an active life even after she was diagnosed with cancer in 2016. She beat cancer but as her age progressed, she started developing other health complications. Tamrakar died while undergoing treatment at Annapurna Neuro Hospital in Kathmandu on March 23. She was 84 years old. Birth: 1939, Kavrepalanchok Death: 23 March 2023, Kathmandu 

Ever since the homework for cabinet expansion began, the name of Prakash Saran Mahat as the new finance minister was doing rounds. And, on Friday it became official as Prime Minister Pushpa Kamal Dahal gave him the responsibility of the Finance Ministry. Mahat's entry into the Finance Ministry has come at a critical juncture with the government struggling in revenue collection and resource management, growing discontent of businesspersons against banks and financial institutions, and rising bad loans in the financial sector. While the continued recovery of the country's external sector is expected to give some breathing space to the new finance minister, declining imports and the slowdown in economic activities have put the government's budgetary operation, primarily in revenue collection, in a shaky position. The government revenue has declined drastically over the last couple of months as economic activities in the country have come to a grinding halt. The private sector's displeasure over high-interest rates is yet to subside and the financial sector is facing a possible storm in the form of rising bad loans and problems in loan recovery. The challenges in front of Mahat are not different from his predecessor Bishnu Poudel who had to leave due to the breakup of the earlier ruling alliance when he was trying to install much-needed urgency in the system. Now, Mahat has to start from where Poudel has left and bring the crisis-ridden economy on track. Taking a clue from Poudel who'd reach out to the private sector as well as the Nepal Rastra Bank governor, Dr. Mahat while assuming office on Friday tried to strike the right chord by saying that he is expecting support and collaboration from all stakeholders. "The entire state mechanism will work to resolve the current economic crisis. There should be coordinated roles of the central bank and Finance Ministry for resolving the issues," he said on Friday. The statistics show a deficit in government budgetary operation due to the widening gap in revenue collection and expenditure. As of April 2, the government's budget is in deficit by Rs 180 billion. The income of the government is Rs 655.22 billion while the expenditure has crossed Rs 836 billion. It is increasingly becoming difficult for the Finance Ministry to meet current expenses from the income of the government. "The revenue collection and foreign assistance have not risen according to the target. On the contrary, the government's expenditure has increased massively," said economist Chandramani Adhikari, "There must be concrete steps taken for resource management." According to him, the government should emphasize the collection of arrears as well as plug the revenue leakages to increase resources. By announcing a committee to formulate a cash flow plan on Friday, newly appointed finance minister Mahat has shown he is aware of the problems. The committee will be led by the chief of the budget and program division of the ministry. The committee will have representation from Financial Comptroller General Office (FCGO), Nepal Rastra Bank, and the Public Debt Management Office. Given the high-interest rates, lending of BFIs has remained dismal as the private sector held back their new investment plans. And, the country's economic growth in the first quarter is limited to 0.8 percent. The private sector says improving government expenditure to increase cash flow in the market has to be done urgently. "The money flow in the market has been severely disrupted. The government has to spend to increase the cash flow in the market. However, the government's income is not as per the target," said Pashupati Murarka, former President of Federation of Nepalese Chambers of Commerce and Industries (FNCCI). Economist Bishwas Gauchan is of the view that structural reforms are needed to resolve the current crisis. "Though there has been some improvement in the economy due to the government's tightening of imports. However, in reality, the problem is where it lies," he said, "To resolve the problem in the long term, structural reform is necessary." According to Gauchan, Nepal's economy has been based on remittances for a long time. "Now we need to find an alternative to remittances to boost the economy," he said. Gauchan pointed out that most of the loans have been used for consumption activities, for buying real estate and vehicles and not for the productive sector. "Now, there must be a policy to use banks' loans to productive sectors while discouraging loans to the real estate sector,'' he said. Immediately after his appointment, Dr. Mahat reached out to the central bank governor Maha Prasad Adhikari as well as telephoned leaders of the private sector bodies. This has given a positive message. But his real test will begin as he sits down with his team at the finance ministry for drafting next fiscal year's budget. How he will manage the expectation of the private sector that wants interest rates in single digits as well as manage prudency in fiscal management will be crucial. His brother and former finance minister Dr. Ram Saran Mahat is still remembered for prudent fiscal management as he guarded the state treasury with zeal. Will the new finance minister take a cue from his celebrated brother?

The body of 25-year-old Arjun Das from Amarabati in Janaki-9, Kailali, was discovered in a local community forest last year. Police investigation showed that he was murdered following a dispute among drug users. In another incident, Anshu Sada of Siraha was abducted and held for ransom by his own friends in October last year. The 18-year-old was later found dead in a hotel room in Biratnagar. His family had failed to pay Rs 10,000 to the kidnappers, who reportedly wanted the money to feed their drug habit. The above two cases represent the larger picture of drug-related crimes and tragedies in Nepal. A study commissioned by the Ministry of Home Affairs in 2019 revealed that 130,425 youths, including 8,732 women, were using drugs. Police bulletins report cases related to drug crimes,  be it of possession, smuggling or illegal use, every day. The situation is alarming, says Poshraj Pokharel, spokesperson for Nepal Police. “Drug use and trade is flourishing, particularly in the Tarai districts that share open border with India.” Records at the Narcotics Control Bureau (NCB) of Nepal Police show that 15,606 cases of drug smuggling and transactions have been registered across the country between the fiscal year 2018/19 and January of this year, in which 23,779 people, including 772 Indian nationals and over 70 other foreign nationals, were arrested. Other police data show that law enforcement agencies seized 335 kilograms of marijuana, 600 kilograms of hashish, 3 kilograms of heroin, 40 kilograms of opium, and 15 kilograms of cocaine in the fiscal year 2018/19. In the fiscal year 2019/20, police confiscated 8,883 kilograms of marijuana, 490 kilograms of hashish, two kilograms of heroin, and 256 kilograms of opium. Police arrested 5,790 people on charges of drug use and trade in the fiscal year 2020/21. Among those arrested, 3,976 are in the 19-35 age group. Data from the Drugs Control Section of the Ministry of Home Affairs suggest that 21 percent of the prisoners across the country were convicted in drug-related crimes, and about 50 percent of them are in the 14-21 age group. Where do drugs come from? Police say about 80 percent of hard drugs such as cocaine and heroin are trafficked from India. They are also smuggled in from countries like Benin, Guinea, Colombia, Peru, Bolivia, Brazil, and Ethiopia. Police suspect international drug cartels are mostly using Nepal as a transit destination. They say many migrant workers are being used as mules to shift the drugs between countries. Recently, Doha and Dubai airports have become transit hubs for drugs entering Nepal. Police believe international drug smugglers are enticing returning migrant workers to transport drugs to Nepal by offering them money. Economic temptation is driving many people to become drug couriers, resulting in arrests and punishments that can impact their families. Large quantities of drugs worth millions of rupees are seized in Nepal every year, further underscoring the magnitude of the problem. Chakraraj Joshi, spokesperson for the NCB, says cocaine is the most common and expensive drug that is being smuggled into or via Nepal. “But we haven’t found any cocaine users in Nepal yet,” he says, supporting the police suspicion that most of these hard drugs are headed to other destinations. Drugs and illegal substances that are commonly in use in Nepal are marijuana, hashish, brown sugar, heroin, and opium. Over 6,000 in rehab centers According to Bishwamitra Kuikel, the head of the Drugs Control Section at the Ministry of Home Affairs, around 6,000 youths are undergoing treatment in 249 rehabilitation centers throughout the country. “Drug addiction can have a crippling effect on not just the lives of the users, but also on their families, and on society and the country.” Drug addiction is also a significant factor in the increase of criminal activities in the country. Pokharel, the Nepal Police spokesperson, says approximately 70 percent of criminal cases in the country are in some ways related to drugs. “As drug use can affect mental awareness and mood, and distort the thinking ability, its users have no compunction about committing crimes in order to get their fix. They’ll do anything out of desperation,” he adds. Drug users commit a range of crimes, from theft, fraud and robbery to murder.  With over 35 million drug users worldwide, a significant proportion of them are young people and teenagers, making them susceptible to committing crimes. As drug use increases, so does the rate of criminal activities in Nepal. According to Bikas Raj Khanal, head of the NCB, the lack of awareness and proper parenting is causing the youth to become drug users. “Easy availability of drugs due to the open border and peer pressure from friends are also contributing factors,” he says. Symptoms of addiction Drug use can lead to significant changes in behavior, including a preference for solitude, a lack of appetite, telling lies, and displaying unnatural behavior. Other symptoms of addiction can include decreased interest in school, not communicating with family, asking for money frequently, getting angry more often, disappearing for periods of time, and spending more time with friends who use drugs. The use of drugs can also have physical, mental, and social effects on an individual. Physically, drug users are at risk for various diseases, such as HIV/AIDS, hepatitis, and other sexually transmitted infections, as well as weight loss and loss of appetite. Overdose is also a serious risk, which can lead to death. Mentally, drug users may experience monotony, frustration, depression, loss of cognitive ability, memory loss, and negative emotions. Socially, drug addiction can create problems within families, relationships, and communities. Youths are the target There are over 35m drug users worldwide, and a significant proportion of them are young people and teenagers. A 2019 survey shows that the majority of drug users, around 69.5 percent, were between the age group of 20-29 years. The Drugs Control Section of the Ministry of Home Affairs states that the use of both natural and medicinal narcotics is spreading in Nepal. Natural drugs are mainly marijuana, hashish, hemp, and opium, while medicinal narcotics include prescribed medicines like nitrosan, nitravet, proxyvon, norphin, codeine, corex, phensedyl, and phencodin. Some medicines, when taken without a doctor's advice, can become addictive and harmful.

Prime Minister Pushpa Kamal Dahal has completed his 100 days in office, achieving very little both on domestic and international fronts. Most of his time and energy after coming to power on 25 December last year have gone in dealing with coalition partners and breaking and recomposing his government. Dahal skipped the meeting of LDC5 held last month and deputed Narayan Kaji Shrestha in lieu. He also turned down the invitation by China to attend the Boao Forum for Asia held on March 28-29 apparently in order to not irk India. Dahal has not embarked on any official foreign visit after his election, but it appears that he will do so with a visit to India, honoring the long-standing practice of Nepali prime ministers making their first trip to India first. During his first premiership in 2008, Dahal had broken this tradition by attending the Beijing Olympic Games, a move that didn’t go well with New Delhi. He would later tell his close confidants that it was his mistake to travel to Beijing before New Delhi. So when he became prime minister for the second time in 2016, he made it a point to visit New Delhi first. He is intent on honoring the tradition this time too, as was evident by his decision to not attend the Boao Forum for Asia held in Hainan Province of China. Although Dahal attended the Summit for Democracy, a virtual meet organized by the US, the Prime Minister’s Office saw to it that the meeting was portrayed as a low-key event, unlike in 2021 when former prime minister, Sher Bahadur Deuba, and his team issued a public statement regarding his address. It is said Prime Minister Dahal didn’t want to make a big deal out of the summit considering the current geopolitical climate. At the end of the summit, 73 countries came up with a joint statement but there is no mention of Nepal. Some countries including India have expressed reservations on some of the points of the statement but Nepal has kept mum. The main objective of the summit was to advance a democratic bloc to contain the growing global influence of communist China, and Prime Minister Dahal didn’t want to give any wrong message to Beijing by becoming an enthusiastic participant. Interestingly, a few days before the Summit for Democracy, China had organized ‘The Second International Forum on Democracy: Shared Human Values’, where it had invited politicians, experts, and scholars from around the world. There were no reports about Nepali government officials taking part in the event. The Dahal government faces a tough challenge of balancing ties with both the US and China. There is a dispute between the US and China on what and how democracy should be like. This conflict over the definition of democracy is playing out in countries like Nepal. American Ambassador Dean R Thompson on March 29 wrote a newspaper article to reinforce the importance of democracy, and the very next day, Chinese Ambassador Chen Song published his own opinion piece on the Chinese model of democracy, where he claimed the broadest, truest, and most effective democracy was truly rooted in China. With two global superpowers competing to exert their influence over Nepal, Prime Minister Dahal is treading carefully so as not to irritate Beijing or Washington by making his preference known.   As the US, China, and India are all crucial development partners of Nepal, it explains Prime Minister Dahal’s decision to skip Boao Forum for Asia meeting, his low-key participation in the Summit for Democracy, and his decision to make his first official visit to India. For now, Dahal’s first priority is to make an official visit to India. Time and again, he has publicly said that preparations are underway for his India trip. Soon after he became the prime minister, Dahal had talked about his plan to visit India, but it could not take place due to internal political issues. In February, Indian Foreign Secretary Vinay Mohan Kwatra visited Nepal to make preparations for Dahal’s India visit. Again, the prime minister was caught in internal political affairs. He will most likely visit India once his newly-formed coalition government gets full shape. After India, Prime Minister Dahal wants to visit China, but it is not sure whether Beijing will extend him an invitation. While extending its invitation to Dahal for the Boao Forum for Asia conference, China had expressed its intention of converting his trip into an official one. So, there is still hope that Beijing could invite Prime Minister Dahal for an official visit. It is clear that India, China and the US want to deepen their ties with Nepal on economic, political and military fronts. But for Dahal, balancing expectations of these three countries is going to be difficult, and not just because of their geopolitical rivalries, but also due to internal factors. For instance, Dahal could face pressure, including from the opposition party, CPN-UML, to take up the issues such as revising the 1950 treaty and settling the border dispute with India. New Delhi is certainly not keen on discussing these topics, let alone agreeing to settle them. The Indian side has said repeatedly that it wants sustained diplomatic talks on these issues before forwarding them at the top political level. Instead, India seems more interested in expediting the development partnership with Nepal, focusing on connectivity and hydropower projects. China too has shown its interest in increasing its engagements with Nepal that were obstructed due to the Covid-19 restrictions and the lack of interest shown by the former government under Sher Bahadur Deuba of the Nepali Congress. To this end, Chinese Ambassador Song has adopted an on-the-spot approach on bilateral issues related to trade and development projects. Recently, China also agreed to fully open all border points to ease bilateral trade. For the US, the key priorities are smooth implementation of the projects under the Millennium Challenge Corporation (MCC) Nepal compact, bringing Nepal on board its State Partnership Program (SPP), concluding the transitional justice process, and expediting the activities under USAID.  While India, China and the US seem to have made their priorities known, Nepal has no clarity on how to deal with the interests shown by these countries and how to benefit from them. Nepali society remains sharply divided over some of the programs and projects launched by the US and China, largely due to the fear sowed by the political parties. It is up to Prime Minister Dahal to convince all sides. This will be his biggest challenge, especially when the political ideologies and foreign policies of his coalition partners are at odds with his own party.