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Life insurance companies mobilized over Rs 3bn in premiums from foreign employment term insurance in the fiscal year 2023/24.

Ten life insurance companies collected Rs 3.12bn during the review year, according to data compiled by the Nepal Insurance Authority (NIA). In the previous fiscal year, 2022/23, life insurance companies had collected Rs 3.21bn in premiums from foreign employment term insurance.

Existing laws require migrant workers to purchase a foreign employment term insurance policy before leaving for overseas job destinations. Currently, 10 out of 13 life insurance companies in the country sell foreign employment term insurance policies. More than 2m foreign employment term insurance policies sold by these companies are currently active.

Data compiled by the NIA shows that Sun Nepal Life Insurance Company collected Rs 843.04m by selling foreign employment term insurance policies in 2023/24. This represented 26.96 percent of the total premium collected from this policy. In the previous fiscal year, the company had collected Rs 1.08bn in premiums from foreign employment term insurance.

Nepal Life Insurance Company Ltd and IME Life Insurance Company Ltd followed with premium collections of Rs 620.8m and Rs 353.57m, respectively, in 2023/24. In 2022/23, Nepal Life and IME Life had collected Rs 475.05m and Rs 436.63m, respectively, in premiums from this policy.

These three companies enjoyed a market share of nearly 60 percent in this business in 2023/24.

Data shows Asian Life, National Life, and SuryaJyoti Life collected Rs 303.14m, Rs 270.11m, and Rs 250.08m in premiums from foreign employment term insurance policies in 2023/24.

Similarly, Sanima Reliance, Reliable Nepal, Citizen Life, and Prabhu Mahalaxmi Life mobilized Rs 205.61m, Rs 178m, Rs 100.5m, and Rs 25.6m, respectively.

A total of 741,297 Nepalis left for foreign employment in fiscal year 2023/24. Of them 353,163 left for foreign employment through institutional channels, according to the Department of Foreign Employment. 

Migrant workers sent Rs 1,327bn in remittances over the first 11 months of 2023/24, according to the Nepal Rastra Bank. 

You can manifest the life you want, say Instagram gurus and those who believe in numerology, astrology, and the like. And while it might all seem hogwash, having you roll your eyes, there is actually science behind the power of positive reinforcement and gratitude. When you choose to think positively and be grateful, your actions will be aligned with your goals. Some choose to call it the power of manifestation. But, in reality, it’s as simple as honing in on your goals and ambitions and doing what it takes to make them come true. Here are five ways to make gratitude a part of your daily life and harness the power of positivity.

Create a mood board

A mood board is a great visual organizing tool. While professionals, especially interior decorator, graphic designers, and project managers, frequently use this to develop ideas, you can also use a mood board to give your life a general sense of direction. Put up pictures and quotes that inspire you. Want to be fit? Put up a photo of your ideal fitness situation. Need a vacation? Photos of the place you want to go next should be up on the board. Seeing something can act as a constant reminder of what you need to do.

Get into journaling

Journaling is the practice of regularly writing down your thoughts, feelings, experiences, and reflections. It serves multiple purposes, including personal reflection, goal setting and planning, creative expression, and gratitude development. You don’t need to be a writer to journal. Anyone can do it. All you need is a notebook and pen. It’s a great way to track personal growth as well as remind yourself of all the things you are grateful for in life. If you are new to journaling, start by taking five minutes in the morning to write down three things you are grateful for, three things you want to change, and three things you want to do that day.

Mantra meditation

Mantra is a Sanskrit term, ‘man’ meaning mind and ‘tra’ meaning release. Think of a mantra which is basically a word or phrase you repeat during meditation as a tool to help release the stress in your mind. It can make a lot of difference, especially if you have trouble concentrating or getting in the right frame of mind. You will find that using a mantra can boost awareness and improve concentration. Play some mantras on Spotify or YouTube and meditate to it. It will make you calmer and more aware of your surroundings.

Follow a ritual

A morning and/or evening ritual is a great way to give structure to your day. It can set the tone of your day or help you unwind after a stressful one. Morning rituals are a simple way to start every single day full of energy and ready to take on the challenges thrown your way. Evening rituals, on the other hand, are a simple way to finish every single day peacefully, to fall asleep easily and to have a great night of sleep. It can make you more in tune with your inner self, instilling a sense of peace, harmony, and gratitude.

Break down your plans

Most of the times, we lose sight of what’s important and wallow in self-pity because we have big ambitions and goals and it overwhelms us. Breaking your goals into bite-sized tasks can help you feel more accomplished and positive about achieving them. A to-do list comes in handy for this. Get into the habit of writing down all the things you need to do to achieve what you have set out to and give yourself deadlines for each task. Finishing a task will leave you feeling upbeat and motivated while making even the wildest of dreams seem attainable.

Tilo is an immigrant from India who runs a spice shop in Oakland in the US. Her spices aren’t just ingredients for curries, they have special powers as Tilo can command them to do her bid. She helps customers get what they desire. Everyone who comes to Tilo’s shop is given the spice she thinks they need—for the restoration of sight, to heal an aching heart, or to deal with the pain of rejection among many other problems.

 She is the mistress of spices with magical powers. She chose this life and she has had to make a few sacrifices for it. But she is happy to be able to help those who need it the most, like an abused wife or unhappy, bullied children. She feels she couldn’t possibly ever want anything else. She was warned that this life of service wouldn’t be easy but she stubbornly stuck to it and hasn’t ever regretted it.

 Then, one day, a lonely American comes into the store and Tilo can’t find the right spice for him. Maybe she doesn’t want to because there’s something about this man that makes her feel things she hasn’t felt before. And it feels a lot like desire and perhaps love. Tilo knows she can’t give in. She can’t touch anyone else, much less get close to them. Else, the spices will stop speaking to her and she will lose her powers. But Tilo can’t seem to stay away, even as the voices in her head warn her about the inevitable doom.

 ‘The Mistress of Spices’ by Chitra Banerjee Divakaruni is a bizarre book. For the first half, it’s mostly all vibe and no plot. The story picks up but it’s not as gripping as her other works. I didn’t care about Tilo until I was more than halfway through the book. I couldn’t even picture her. There is a movie adaptation of the book starring Aishwarya Rai that I haven’t watched and I couldn’t even picture the actor as Tilo. The writing didn’t evoke my senses as Divakaruni’s works often do. (Also, there is a mismatch between the book and the movie. The book describes Tilo as trapped in an old woman’s body whereas a young Rai is shown as the protagonist in the movie.)

 I have read most of Divakaruni’s works and have loved them. ‘The Palace of Illusions’, an adaptation of the epic Mahabharata, told from Draupadi’s perspective, is a favorite of many people I know. I love her short stories, which mainly deal with the Indian immigrant experience. The Mistress of Spices, however, I felt is mediocre at best. There’s not much character development and even though you meet quite a few interesting ones, none of them really stay in your mind. There’s a lot of talk of spices which is fascinating. Maybe that was the reason I couldn’t stop reading despite the story not making much sense.

 It’s definitely not one of the author’s best works. But given that it was written back in 1997, reading it now in the age of smartphones and other gizmos lends it a certain charm that’s quite addictive. I wouldn’t recommend The Mistress of Spices as an introduction to the author’s large body of work. If you have read Divakaruni’s other works, you might be more forgiving of this book. For me, it evoked mixed feelings. I didn’t love it. I didn’t hate it. I would give it a two and a half star rating.

Fiction

https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/94669.The_Mistress_of_Spices  

The Mistress of Spices

Chitra Banerjee Divakaruni

Published: 1997

Publisher: Black Swan

Pages: 317, Paperback

Nepal is highly vulnerable to the impacts of climate change, ranking as the 10th most affected country globally according to the Climate Risk Index 2021. The Global Vulnerability Index 2019 also indicates that Nepal ranks fourth globally, experiencing rapid glacier retreat, landslides, and flooding. 

Despite this, Nepal contributes minimally to global climate change. As noted in Nepal’s first Nationally Determined Contributions (NDCs) report in 2011, the country’s greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions are only about 0.027 percent of total global emissions.

This highlights the importance of climate justice. The principles of climate justice emphasize that those who contributed the least to climate change should not bear its costs disproportionately, ensuring that climate actions are equitable and just, especially for those most affected yet least responsible for climate change. According to the United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change (UNFCCC) framework, climate justice involves equity and common but differentiated responsibilities, recognizing the varying capabilities and responsibilities of different countries.

In Nepal, climate justice is a relatively new concept within climate change policy. The focus has mainly been on adaptation and mitigation, with climate justice issues often limited to campaign slogans about compensation from developed nations and the polluter pays principle.

To achieve climate justice and address these challenges, Nepal needs robust legal frameworks. However, Nepal has not even a Climate Change Act yet. Experts suggest that a dedicated climate change act is essential to ensure proper support for vulnerable communities and their representation in policy processes.

Without a dedicated Act, how is Nepal addressing climate change? Here is an explainer of Nepal’s major climate change-related acts, policies, and regulations.

Supreme Court order

On 25 Dec 2018, the Supreme Court directed the government to enact a new climate change law to address the effects of climate change, reduce fossil fuel consumption, and promote low carbon technologies. The court determined that a new law was necessary for Nepal to fulfill its international obligations under the Paris Agreement and its domestic responsibilities. It deemed the Environmental Protection Act of 1997 inadequate for addressing the need for climate change mitigation and adaptation measures. Despite this directive, the government has not yet made an integrated climate change Act. Although the Nepal Law Commission drafted a climate change Act, it has not been enacted.

Nevertheless, after the Court’s order, the government passed the Environment Protection Act of 2019 and the Forests Act of 2019, both aimed at addressing climate mitigation and adaptation measures.

The Environment Protection Act of 2019 includes provisions for Climate Change Adaptation (CCA) and mitigation planning. It stipulates that adaptation plans must prioritize vulnerable groups such as women, persons with disabilities, children, senior citizens, economically disadvantaged communities, and those in vulnerable geographical areas. The Act also establishes an environmental protection fund to manage climate change and other environmental issues.

Meanwhile, the Forest Act of 2019 was formulated to manage and utilize various types of forests in Nepal, including state-managed forests, community forests, collaborative forests, leasehold forests, religious forests, and private forests. Its provisions encompass benefits from carbon sequestration, emission reduction, and climate change adaptation as determined by the government.

Local government and risk reduction

The Local Government Operation Act, 2017 includes provisions for disaster management, environment conservation and protection, land management, and natural resource management as a joint responsibility of the federal and provincial governments. However, the Act overlooks special attention to climate change risks and necessary adaptation measures. Local governments have an environment and disaster management unit, but due to poor capacity, providing timely and effective responses for vulnerable communities (such as the poor, Dalit, marginalized, and indigenous people) during disasters is challenging.

Similarly, the Disaster Risk Reduction and Management Act, 2017 provides a legislative framework for managing disaster risks, including those exacerbated by climate change. It emphasizes preparedness, response, and recovery strategies. The Act establishes the District Disaster Management Committee and the Local Disaster Management Committee, which have functions and powers related to relief, recovery, rehabilitation, and resettlement. However, the Act is silent on issues of tenure security and tenure rights. Additionally, it includes provisions for a disaster and emergency fund to support disaster relief and response activities.

Climate change and environment policy

The National Climate Change Policy, 2019, is Nepal’s primary document on climate change, replacing the National Climate Change Policy, 2011. It aims to incorporate climate change considerations into all government policies, strategies, plans, and programs across various levels and sectors to promote low-carbon development and a green economy. The policy outlines agriculture-based adaptation programs targeting poor, marginalized, landless, indigenous people, vulnerable households, women, and persons with disabilities. However, it does not recognize women and marginalized groups as agents of change. It mandates that at least 80 percent of the climate finance received from international mechanisms should be used for local-level climate change projects.

The National Environment Policy, 2019, focuses primarily on addressing pollution and other environmental issues. It emphasizes environmental justice by applying penalties to environmental polluters (following the principle that polluters must pay) and compensating affected individuals and communities.

Net zero emission strategy

Nepal's Long-term Strategy for Net Zero Emission, 2021, aims for the country to achieve net-zero greenhouse gas emissions by 2045. The strategy emphasizes maximizing clean energy sources such as hydropower, solar energy, and biogas; decarbonizing the transportation sector; promoting sustainable agriculture; increasing and maintaining forest cover; and enhancing international cooperation on climate change mitigation and adaptation. It reaffirms the principles of Gender Equality and Social Inclusion (GESI) and Leave No One Behind (LNOB) during the implementation phase.

NDC and adaptation plan

The Second Nationally Determined Contribution (NDC), 2020, explicitly targets gender sensitivity in both mitigation and adaptation components, identifying Gender Equality and Social Inclusion (GESI) as a crosscutting area. It mandates “equal access to women, children, youth, indigenous people, and marginalized groups during participation, decision-making, and benefit-sharing.” By 2030, it requires all local governments to prepare and implement climate adaptation plans focusing on women, differently-abled individuals, children, senior citizens, youth, and indigenous people.

The National Adaptation Plan 2021-2050 outlines short-term priority actions until 2025, medium-term priority programs until 2030, and long-term adaptation strategic goals until 2050. These aim to help Nepal better integrate actions and strategies to address climate risk and vulnerability. The plan recognizes women, indigenous people, and persons with disabilities as “vulnerable to current and projected climate hazards.”

L&D framework

In response to the Paris Agreement and the increase in extreme events within the country, the government developed the National Framework on Climate Induced Loss and Damage (L&D) in 2021. This framework presents a comprehensive strategy to address the impacts of climate change on the nation. It provides financial support, including insurance and compensation schemes, as well as technical and institutional assistance to communities adversely affected by climate change. The framework demonstrates Nepal’s commitment to tackling climate change challenges and protecting its people and environment from the adverse effects of climate-induced loss and damage.

A research paper published by ActionAid Nepal and conducted by the Environment and Engineering Research Center (EERC) indicates that key elements of climate justice are either missing or not clearly integrated into Nepal’s current climate-related laws and policies. The paper highlights the prevalent belief that poor, vulnerable, and marginalized communities should receive disaster preparedness training and support for rescue, relief, rehabilitation, and resettlement. However, these groups are often seen merely as recipients of support rather than as individuals or communities with rights to protection from climate-induced disasters.

The research paper highlights several challenges in implementing and enforcing climate-related laws and policies. One major issue is the presence of competing legal provisions, with overlapping jurisdictions among federal, provincial, and local governments, especially in areas like disaster management. Additionally, inadequate inter-ministry coordination at both horizontal levels (such as between conservation and development ministries at the federal level) and vertical levels (federal, provincial, and local) hinders progress. The complex nature of carbon emission mitigation and climate adaptation demands synchronized efforts, which are often lacking.

Capacity gaps at subnational levels further complicate the situation, as provincial and local governments frequently lack the necessary understanding and resources to address climate vulnerability and its impacts on agriculture, food security, public health, infrastructure, livelihoods, and forests. The issue is compounded by data deficiency, with Nepal suffering from a lack of updated and aggregated data on climate-induced hazards, loss, and damage. Overlapping jurisdictions can lead to scattered data across different levels of government, impeding comprehensive national-level data collection and analysis.

Inadequate budget allocation and climate finance management also pose significant challenges. Competing national priorities result in insufficient funding for climate initiatives, with a heavy reliance on international sources. The late climate budget tagging exercise and a lack of prioritization based on climate impact evaluation further weaken climate finance management.

Climate finance

Addressing climate change effectively requires legislative frameworks that facilitate adequate financing mechanisms for climate justice, particularly in adaptation and mitigation activities. However, several legislative gaps hinder the mobilization, allocation, and utilization of climate finance. The current legislative framework often lacks clarity on funding priorities and the distribution of climate funds, and it does not clearly define funding for priority areas and vulnerable populations.

Key financial funds and mechanisms established by law include the Environmental Protection Fund, created under the Environment Protection Act, 2019, and the Disaster and Emergency Fund, provisioned by the Disaster Risk Reduction and Management Act, 2017. Additional sources of climate finance come from national budget allocations, international climate finance through UNFCCC mechanisms, and climate-related budgets secured through bilateral relations and multilateral organizations, such as the World Bank and the Asian Development Bank (ADB).

The COP28 UN Climate Change Conference in Dubai concluded with a historic agreement on the operationalization of funding arrangements to address loss and damage. Commitments to address loss and damage started pouring in immediately after the decision was finalized, accumulating over $661m to date. But can Nepal benefit from these funds?

Lawmaker Madhav Sapkota notes that Nepal still lacks about nine essential Acts, which complicates the process of securing loss and damage (L&D) funds. He suggests establishing informal forums such as a ‘Climate Parliament’, an international cross-party network of legislators focused on combating climate change and promoting renewable energy. He points out that neighboring countries like India, Bangladesh, and Bhutan are already part of the Climate Parliament.

Development of climate change legislation in Nepal

• 1992: UNFCCC conference in Brazil
• 2005: Kyoto Protocol
• 2010: Readiness preparation proposal for REED
• 2010: National Adaptation Programme of Action (NAPA)
• 2011: Local Adaptation Plans for Action (LAPA) framework
• 2011: Climate change policy
• 2012: Rio+ 20
• 2015: Paris Agreement
• 2016: Nationally Determined Contribution (NDC)
• 2018: National REED+ strategy
• 2019: Climate change policy 2019
• 2019: Revised LAPA framework
• 2019: Climate change budget code
• 2020: Second NDC
• 2021: National Adaptation Plan (NAP)
• 2022: National framework on climate induced L&D
• 2022: Strategy for net-zero emission
• 2022: Assessment of climate financing allocation
• 2023: NAP 2021-2050