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Honorable Finance Minister,

You might not be an economist, but as an experienced political leader, I am very hopeful about the upcoming budget of fiscal year 2081/082 BS. There isn’t any special formula for achieving prosperity, for it requires courage and competence in equal measure. In your second term as finance minister, you being a leader who has repeatedly won elections, are a close witness to our nation’s poverty. Hence, I am even more enthusiastic; will you this time introduce new measures for prosperity.

The budget is not just the financial exercise of the nation; it’s an outline and strategy document for solving the most complex issues of the nation, where the management of resources must be done with justice and wisdom. I find our national budget comprising remnants of the past goods, incomplete, inadequate present, and plan-less future.

So I want to ask you this Honorable Finance Minister: Why does the budget always seem so stale? Why can’t the budget makers become allies of public enthusiasm? Isn't this a beautiful opportunity to awaken the common people? Why can't budget makers become engineers of national transformation?

I lack any formal education in economics. However, as an entrepreneur and a citizen of Nepal, I could not help but offer my two cents worth of suggestions for the upcoming budget. And, I have presented some suggestions. I feel, we are in various circumstances, and these diverse suggestions will indeed be helpful.

Communicate hope

Social despair is more detrimental than economic despair. Please manifest hope and enthusiasm in your programs. In every allocation of your budget, ask yourself, ‘What energy does this bring?’

Address the youth

There is a significant gap between youth and national budget programs. Present programs for high-level youth development that can yield results in two years. Introduce ideas and schemes to control human capital flight. Correct the past tendency of discouraging youths and upstart entrepreneurs. 

Be courageous

The position of finance minister is very important. It's a place to showcase one's leadership and brilliance. Corruption in national resources distribution due to excessive politicization has created many problems in the past. To break this trend, it's necessary to show courage. Do something new, even if it seems impossibly ambitious. Do not allow budgetary programs to be mere election slogans.

Show empathy toward entrepreneurs

Business is not just about making money; it’s about growth. Nurture and promote entrepreneurship. The business sector is affected by incursions from various bodies of the state. It is in the grip of an economic recession. Seek various means of national revenue. Taxation is one face of the coin; the other is subsidies and facilities.

Don’t intimidate entrepreneurs in the name of taxes. Rather, motivate them to earn and contribute more. 

Invest in education

Provide opportunities for existing educational institutions to transform themselves. Prioritize educational governance. Invest in programs that create a better future rather than long-term productivity programs. We have omitted many things in education, which could be the sole significant medium for national prosperity.

Digital transformation

Digitalization is a weapon against corruption—use it. Be ambitious. Aim to become influential. Dare to reach your goal. Invite global information technology companies and donors for nation-building. However small contribution there may be, it will sow the seeds of prosperity.

Become a guardian

Save Nepal. Be a guardian to all of us. Listen to interest groups but verify from independent analysts. Make the budget inclusive and participatory. Analyze the potential decisions in favor and against. Be bold and be ready to address every concern of stakeholders.

My eighth suggestion, please spend at least one day studying and analyzing the trends, weaknesses, strengths, and obstacles of programs of the last two decades at the international level, along with their impacts. You will find more guiding principles from there than your economic advisors. Time provides an opportunity for a person to do something great. That time is now for you. Don’t miss the opportunity to become the ‘architect’ of a prosperous Nepal.

The advanced course on national security, organized by the Ministry of Defense and the Nepali Army, concluded on Friday. The 16-day training, which started on March 13, had 29 participants from various ministries, Nepal Army, Nepal Police, Armed Police Force, National Investigation Department, and media.

During the closing event at the Shivapuri-based Command and Staff College of the Nepal Army, Minister for Defense Hari Prasad Upreti emphasized the importance of security to a country’s sovereignty, independence, and territorial integrity. He stressed that ensuring a fear-free environment for citizens is crucial for the country’s existence.

“Protecting and promoting national security and welfare is the major responsibility of every Nepali citizen,” said Upreti, emphasizing the necessity for dialogue, coordination, and collaboration among state bodies to formulate a unified concept for a robust national security.

Expressing his belief that effective implementation of the national security policy would strengthen both internal and external security, the Defense Minister noted Nepal’s unique challenges and geopolitical significance in terms of national security.

He emphasized the importance of addressing existing national security challenges by leveraging economy, diplomacy, communication, information, and military capabilities in the country’s favor. 

Chief of Army Staff (CoAS) Prabhuram Sharma stressed the need for cooperation, collaboration, and integrated approaches among state agencies to foster a safe and prosperous Nepal.

“The scope of national security has broadened with globalization and the development of information technology. Further study and analysis of the positive and negative aspects of artificial intelligence should be conducted,” he said.

Throughout the two-week training, discussions focused on diplomacy, economy, national security policy, geopolitics, foreign policy, climate change and its security implications, strategy and plan formulation, humanitarian assistance, disaster management, and civil-military relations.

As part of the training, a one-day seminar on the impact of climate change on national security was also held on March 22, with the participation of 100 individuals, including experts and media personnel. Kamal Dev Bhattarai, Editor of The Annapurna Express also shared his views on the US Indo-Pacific Strategy and its implications for South Asia and Nepal. 

The ninth edition of this high-level national security training commenced in 2016 and has trained 222 people to date.

‘Finlay Donovan Jumps the Gun’ is the third book in the Finlay Donavon series by Elle Cosimano. Whether it’s the final book perhaps depends on the popularity of the series but I think it’s time to end it. I enjoyed ‘Finlay Donovan Is Killing It’ and ‘Finlay Donovan Knocks ‘Em Dead’ but the story feels a little stretched out by the third book.

Here, Finlay and Vero are trying to reveal the identity of EasyClean who is the hitman hired on an Internet forum to kill Steven, Finlay’s husband. Russian mob boss Feliks, to whom Finlay owes a favor, is behind bars but he wants Finlay to do something for him. She is to find and identify the contract killer before the cops do. But the killer might be a police officer.

Luckily, Nick, a cop who has feelings for Finlay, has just been tasked with starting a citizen’s police academy. Finlay and Vero see this as a perfect chance to do some digging without raising suspicions and join the group. To make matters worse, Finlay has a deadline to meet and she can’t seem to rewrite the parts her editor wants her to change. Vero’s past is coming back to haunt her. The two find themselves in a precarious situation and they, as always, make it worse just by trying to dodge it.

I love Finlay and Vero. They make a nice team. Vero is a great wing woman for Finlay, dealing with her ex-husband, handling her children, and generally egging her on. She is a character you enjoy reading out and getting to know more than the protagonist in Finlay Donovan Jumps the Gun. But the same antics get boring after a while. I searched high and low for the book but now after having read it, I realize I wouldn’t have missed out on much even if I hadn’t found it. Don’t get me wrong, I enjoyed it. Just not as much as I enjoyed the first two parts of the series.

In the third book, something is amiss right from the start. A lot of time goes into reintroducing characters. The buildup is slow. The sense of urgency that made the earlier books work is largely missing in the latest installment. It lacks fun. It lacks adventure. Incidents feel pointlessly drawn out. But I can also understand why it would appeal to some readers. It has fewer of the outlandish moments of the earlier two parts. The things that happen feel more real. Even though nothing much happens, it’s a light read for when you want something to take your mind off things.

Thriller | Mystery

Finlay Donovan Jumps the Gun

Elle Cosimano

Published: 2023

Publisher: Headline Review

Pages: 297, Paperback

YouTube is a great place to learn about so many things as well as pick up new skills. Want to learn DIY? There are hundreds of great videos on it that teach everything from mending a tear to making a side table from discarded pieces of wood. Wondering how to get rid of that stubborn stain on your carpet or that yellow splatter on a white wall? Many channels offer great cleaning tips and tricks. Thinking of starting a kitchen garden? Get all the information you need from experts around the world. There is no dearth of amazing content on YouTube but sometimes it becomes a little difficult to dig out the good stuff. Here, we recommend some of our all-time favorites.

Gittemary Johansen

If you want to learn about sustainability and zero-waste living, you needn’t look anywhere beyond this channel. It has over 700 videos on how to get started on your zero-waste journey and inspiration to reuse things and reduce consumption. Most of the videos are informal, it almost feels like you are listening to a friend talk. There is more than enough content here to inspire you to live consciously and be mindful of what you use and how.

The School of Life

‘Self-understanding, calm, and emotional maturity’ reads the tagline of this YouTube channel with over 8.8m subscribers and nearly a thousand videos. The School of Life was founded in 2008 by a group of academics, including author Alain de Botton. It publishes various materials dealing with the topics of anxiety management, emotional intelligence, relationships, work, creativity, and spirituality. We guarantee that you will learn a lot from The School of Life—things that will help you be more mature, content, and patient.

Tweak India

Founded by author and actor Twinkle Khanna, Tweak India is a media company that primarily focuses on women’s issues. It covers a range of topics including parenting, love, relationships, wellness, career, mental health, books, etc. It’s a space for women to challenge old ideas and discover new ones. There are interviews with phenomenal women like Supriya Pathak, Ratna Pathak Shah, Sharmila Tagore, Shabana Azmi, Sushmita Sen, and many others. Some fun segments include women’s morning rituals and beauty hacks. This YouTube channel is inspiring and fun.

Garden Up

Run by Ekta, a researcher and an entrepreneur in Mumbai, India, Garden Up has many videos on gardening tips and how to convert your home into an oasis of calm. From cultivating vegetables and growing herbs to taking care of your indoor plants, this can easily be your go-to channel to nurture your green thumb. The owner/host arms you with some excellent tips to take care of your jade plant, how to prepare soil mix for indoor plants, and how to grow curry leaves in apartments among others. The videos are aesthetic and thus soothing to watch.

Clean My Space

With over 2.2m subscribers, Clean My Space is run by Melissa Maker who shows you how to clean better, faster, and get great results in a short time. Maker runs a cleaning business in Toronto, Canada, which she started in 2006. In 2010, she along with Chad Reynolds, started uploading cleaning videos on YouTube. You will find bathroom cleaning tips, rules for a cleaner home, hacks to get soap scum off showers and glass doors, and recipes for DIY cleaning products among other interesting tips and tricks for a sparkly, clean home.

Kenny Sebastian

Want to laugh till your belly hurts? Head to the YouTube channel of Kenny Sebastian, an Indian stand-up comedian. The 33-year-old rose to prominence through YouTube where he has uploaded over 300 videos to date. From figuring out fatherhood to dating rules guys need to follow, Sebastian will tickle your funny bones like no other. His wit, charm, and nonchalant attitude make his dialogue delivery even funnier. You can also relate to many of his woes. Overall, this YouTube channel will make you temporarily forget your problems.

Click for Taz

Taz Alam is a British content creator best known for her hugely popular YouTube channel that was launched in 2015. She grew up in Cardiff, Wales, and graduated with a law degree. She has also published a book on spoken-word poetry titled ‘It’s Fine, It’s Fine, It’s Fine’. Her channel, which was initially dedicated to spoken-word poetry, now has lifestyle and travel vlogs as well and they are hugely entertaining. No wonder her videos have garnered tens of millions of views. She’s your quirky 20-something young adult who is a delight to watch on screen.