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Top leaders of three major parties—Nepali Congress, CPN-UML, and CPN (Maoist Center)—have pledged to endorse the amendment bill related to the Transitional Justice Act through the current session of the House of Representatives. Prime Minister and CPN-UML Chairman KP Sharma Oli, Nepali Congress President Sher Bahadur Deuba, and CPN (Maoist Center) Chairman Pushpa Kamal Dahal made this commitment while receiving a report prepared by a cross-party panel formed to address the contentious issues in the bill, particularly those related to serious human rights violations.

“I consider this a success achieved after the formation of the new government under Prime Minister Oli,” said Dahal after receiving the report. He added, “Now the bill, which is in the parliamentary committee, should be forwarded to the full House and endorsed through this session of Parliament.” A cross-party task force comprising Ramesh Lekhak from NC, Mahesh Bartaula from UML, and Janardhan Sharma from Maoist Center worked hard to forge consensus on the contentious issues of the Enforced Disappearances Enquiry, Truth and Reconciliation Commission Act. According to Lekhak, who now heads the Ministry of Home Affairs, issues of reconciliation, reparation, and prosecution were addressed while considering the concerns of the victims.

Prime Minister Oli said that consensus was achieved considering the Supreme Court’s 2015 verdict, meeting international standards, and addressing the concerns of the victims. He added that the government would expedite tasks related to appointments in the Truth and Reconciliation Commission (TRC) and the Commission of Investigation on Enforced Disappeared Persons (CIEDP), two transitional justice mechanisms formed in 2015. Oli also said that there are no longer any ambiguities or confusions regarding the transitional justice laws. The international community has yet to react to the agreement reached among the three major leaders.

NC President Deuba remarked that Nepal would set an example in the international arena if the transitional justice process is amicably settled. He said that if the task force’s resolutions are endorsed by Parliament and war-era human rights cases are settled, it would send a positive message to the world. The TRC and CIEDP, formed in 2015 to address transitional justice mechanisms, have struggled due to the absence of laws in line with the Supreme Court’s 2015 verdict and international standards.

Over the past 10 years, the two commissions have made some progress. The TRC has registered 63,718 complaints, including 314 related to rape and sexual violence. Similarly, the CIEDP has recorded 3,000 complaints. Both commissions have completed preliminary investigations on some cases. However, in recent years, they have been without heads and members, rendering them virtually defunct. Their tenures are being renewed to prevent complete collapse.

Disputes among parties primarily revolve around how to address serious human rights violations committed during the insurgency era. The international community insists that there should be no amnesty for serious human rights violations. Although the three parties claim to have resolved the disputed issues, it remains to be seen how Parliament, the international community, and most importantly, the conflict victims will respond.

Economic empowerment is a crucial condition for gender equality. While the employment situation of women in Madhes Province has been dire, their participation in the labor force has begun to increase of late.

Rampari Devi (45) never went to school and was married at a young age. After her marriage, she had to rely on others even to fetch goods from the weekly market for nearly 20 years. However, after the male members of the family left for foreign employment, the family’s responsibility fell on Devi’s shoulders. She now has to manage everything, from farming to market activities, alone.

Currently, Devi is cultivating vegetables on about six kattha (approximately 2,000 square meters) of land with her daughters-in-law. She sells the vegetables at the local market herself and her work has significantly contributed to her family’s income.

Until about 15 years ago, Rekhadevi Sah (50) from Dhirapur had not even thought of working in her own fields. Her days were spent doing household chores. But now, Sah has also started farming. “The times were different then. In our society, women were not allowed to go outside the house. When we were newly married, we were even forbidden from laughing or speaking loudly. Times have changed now. We have educated daughters-in-law. Women have also started working in agriculture, business and other sectors,” said Sah. “Madhesi villages are not the same as before. In the past, there was no practice of employing women as laborers in the village, but now both men and women work together.”

Different factors like employment, business property rights and per capita income are considered for economic empowerment. Although women in Madhes are at the bottom of economic empowerment compared to other provinces, they have slowly started to climb the ladder.

Dilkhush Paswan from Matihani in Mahottari had to struggle a lot to go out to work and earn just because she was from the Dalit community. “The biggest problem came from the family itself. If you went out to work or joined women’s groups, they would say you would get spoiled or engage in wrong activities. Some even said they wouldn’t give work if the group included a Dalit woman,” Paswan said, recalling her past. “But after much struggle, I have now been able to do small business in the village. I have also gained respect in the family.”

Paswan has started a small business and is also involved in farming.

Until 10 years ago, it was difficult for women in Madhes to receive equal wages for equal work. There was no practice of involving women in agriculture, animal husbandry or small businesses. However, after the men in the villages started going abroad for jobs, women also started to be accepted as workers. Now, there is equality in wages, says agricultural worker Sangita Sada. “Earlier, they used to give Rs 300 to men and Rs 250 to women for farm work. They would not give us the money, though. Men would go as our guardians and receive the money,” said Sada. “We are paid the same wages as male workers these days.”

Bedanand Jha, who was busy transplanting paddy in his farm, said the number of women is comparatively higher than men in farms these days. “Since most men have started going abroad, women have started taking charge of agriculture,” he said, adding: “If female workers don’t engage in work, agriculture becomes even more difficult.”

Bina Singh, Dhanusha district coordinator of WOREC Nepal, an organization working in the field of women rights, said most of the women in Madhes had to endure violence due to a lack of economic empowerment in the past. “Even today, there is no conducive environment for women and girls to work outside their homes in Madhes. Women, especially from Dalit, Muslim and under-privileged families, are trapped in economic dependence and poverty. But efforts have begun to slowly break all these barriers,” she said. “Now, the trend of educating daughters and involving them in work has started to increase.”

As per the 2021 census, 49 percent, or 3,048,849, of the total population of 6,114,600 in Madhes Province, are women. The literacy rate for women is 54.7 percent, while it is 72.5 percent for men. About 68.7 percent of the cottage enterprises are primarily operated by men and 31.3 percent by women.

Five persons died when a helicopter of Air Dynasty crashed at Suryachaur in Shivapuri Rural Municipality-7, Nuwakot on Wednesday.

Captain Arun Malla and four Chinese nationals died in the incident.

Civil Aviation Authority of Nepal spokesperson Hansaraj Pandey confirmed the death of five persons onboard the chopper.

The deceased Chinese nationals have been identified as Jutad Tang (38), Jie Li (36), Yiyad Wo (31) and Zeming Xie (41).

The helicopter with four Chinese tourists was heading to Syabrubesi of Rasuwa from Kathmandu when the tragedy took place this afternoon.

It has been found that all the Chinese tourists, who lost their lives in the Air Dynasty helicopter crash, had entered Nepal through Kerung, Rasuwa.

They entered Nepal through the Rasuwa border at 9 am on Monday.

The Chinese tourists came to Nepal on multiple entry visas. 

 The reason behind the crash is yet to be established.  

Sheep and yak farming is on the decline in mountainous districts of Karnali Province. As farmers abandon their herds, yaks are facing extinction, and sheep numbers are also decreasing. This decline has directly impacted the livelihoods of people living in these mountainous areas. 

To address the issue, the Karnali Province Government has adopted a policy to encourage farmers to engage in commercial sheep and yak farming. The provincial government has begun offering various incentives to farmers in mountainous districts to promote commercial sheep and yak farming. According to the Ministry of Land Management, Agriculture, and Cooperatives, this initiative aims to support and expand yak and sheep farming by encouraging farmers.

The ministry has begun providing cash incentives to farmers who are into sheep and yak farming. In the previous fiscal year alone, the provincial government distributed Rs 8.3m in incentives to sheep and yak farmers.

Ministry Spokesperson Dhan Bahadur Kathayat said that the ministry has adopted a policy of promoting commercial sheep and yak farming by providing cash incentives. “Farmers with more than 50 sheep or 10 yaks are eligible for these incentives,” he said. “Each farmer receives Rs 18,000 annually, which is deposited directly into their accounts in two installments.”

According to Kathayat,the province government began providing incentives to address concerns about the declining numbers and potential extinction of sheep and yaks. In the last fiscal year, the ministry distributed Rs 8.3m to 463 sheep farmers and 41 yak farmers.

Farmers in Humla, Jumla, Dolpa, Mugu, Kalikot, Jajarkot, and Rukum West are the targeted beneficiaries of these incentives. Sheep and yak farming has been a primary occupation for people in these mountainous districts for generations, but interest in this traditional profession has waned in recent years due to its lack of commercial viability.

The provincial government hopes that commercial sheep and yak farming will improve farmers’ livelihoods and boost the province's income. Sheep are raised for meat and wool, while yaks are primarily kept for milk. Yak tails, which are valued for their use in religious ceremonies, also provide some income for farmers.

Karnali exports farm products worth Rs 4.11bn

Karnali Province exported agricultural and livestock products worth Rs 4.11bn in the fiscal year 2023/24.

According to the ministry, fruits, honey, and spices worth Rs 2.26bn were exported from the province during the previous fiscal year. Additionally, livestock products, including goats, milk, fish, traditional woolen blankets, and chhurpi (hardened cheese), contributed Rs 1.84bn.

Minister for Land Management, Agriculture, and Cooperatives, Binod Kumar Shah, said that the export of farm products from the province is gradually increasing. “We plan to invest more in agriculture and support farmers to make the province self-reliant,” he added.