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The CPN (Maoist Center) has emerged as the largest party in the National Assembly (NA), winning five out of 19 vacant seats and increasing its seat in the 59-member chamber to 18.

The Nepali Congress, by winning 10 seats in the election, now has 16 seats, followed by CPN-UML’s 10 seats, thanks to a single seat it managed to win in the NA elections held on Thursday. Nepal Communist Party (Unified Socialist) won two seats, increasing its strength to eight and emerging as the fourth largest party in the upper chamber. 

Former Nepali Congress general secretary Krishna Prasad Sitaula got elected to the upper chamber from Koshi Province, securing 5,292 votes against Poudel’s 4,562. 

UML’s Rukmini Koirala won from Koshi Province Women’s Cluster, defeating Champadevi Karki, a Maoist Center candidate representing the ruling coalition. The UML candidate polled 5,086 votes against Karki’s 4,922 votes. Karki lost the crucial vote as 17 voters from local levels and three from the province crossed the floor.

The ruling coalition won all four seats in Bagmati Province. Bishnu Devi Pudasaini (Female) and Jitjung Basnet (Others) from Nepali Congress, Shri Krishna Prasad Adhikari from CPN Maoist Center (Differently-Abled) and Ghanashyam Risal from Samajbadi Party (Dalit) won, securing 6,622, 6,531, 6,383 and 6,512 votes, respectively.

Both candidates from the ruling coalition won Lumbini Province. Bishnu Kumari Sapkota of Nepali Congress won as a female candidate with 5,435 votes against CPN-UML candidate Tulasa KC’s  2,867. Jhakku Prasad Subedi (Maoist Center) won in Others category by polling 5,435 votes against UML candidate Jhapendra Gharti Chhetri (Palpa)’s 3,039 votes. 

Madhes Province elected Anand Prasad Dhungana of the Congress and Pooja Chaudhary of Janata Samajwadi Party with 7,370 and 7,929 votes, respectively.

From Gandaki Province, Kiran Babu Shrestha of Congress (Others), Padam Bahadur Pariyar (Differently-Abled/minority) and Manrupa Sharma (Female) of Maoist Center won, polling 3,808, 3,779 votes and 3,660 votes, respectively.

In Karnali Province also, the ruling coalition won all three seats. Sabitri Malla (Dailekh) of the CPN United Socialist Party won with 3,722 votes from the Female category, leaving behind Bimala Kumari Shahi of CPN-UML (1,362 votes).

On Dalit category, Bishnu BK (Bikalpa) of CPN Maoist got elected, polling 3,817 votes against CPN-UML Hikmat BK’s 1,267 votes. Krishna Bahadur Rokaya of the Congress defeated Dilli Prasad Bhatt of CPN-UML in Rukum West, polling 3,870 votes against Bhatt’s 1,214 votes.

From Sudurpaschim Province also, ruling coalition candidates emerged victorious. The winning candidates are Maoist Center’s Renu Chand (Female) and Congress’s Narayan Bhatt (Differently-Abled) as well as Baldev Bohara (Others).

The Election Commission said in a press release on Thursday that 546 out of 549 voters in seven province assemblies cast their votes in the National Assembly elections, marking a turnout of 99.45 percent.

Out of 1,497 voters at local levels (rural municipalities, municipalities, sub-metropolises and metropolises), 1,486 cast votes, marking a 99.97 percent turnout.

The 19 NA members elected in the 59-member upper chamber will replace the incumbents, whose term expires on March 3. As per a constitutional provision, the President will nominate a member on the recommendation of the Cabinet.

Surya Prasad Lamichhane, a resident of Begnas Lake area in Pokhara-31, has gained global recognition for his remarkable ability to cover his body with live bees for hours. He drew the attention of the Guinness Book of World Records in 2016 when news spread worldwide that he covered his body with 30,000 live bees continuously for two hours.

Surya’s care, nurture, and interest in bees have established him as a renowned beekeeper. He has trained beekeeping to some 15,000 youths and farmers over the past decade. “About 20 percent of those who learnt beekeeping from me are foreigners,” Surya shared with ApEx during the 20th anniversary celebration of his farm recently. During the ceremony, Surya distributed honey produced in his farm to all the participants and other stakeholders. In an interview with ApEx, Surya shared insights into his farm and beekeeping as a profession. Excerpts:

Please tell us about your farm.

I produce almost 1,500 kg of honey every year. I have set up 300 bee hives in fields that I have taken on lease from other farmers. You can see my hives in the mustard fields. Honey is not only beneficial for health but also has the potential to attract foreign investments. It serves as a medicine for numerous diseases as it has anti-inflammatory, anti-oxidant, and antibacterial agents. In cold weather, it is highly beneficial when consumed with hot water.

Why are you distributing your honey for free today?

I have observed a lesser interest in locals compared to people of other countries when it comes to consumption of honey. I want to increase the value of honey for locals and express gratitude to my neighbors, stakeholders, and acquaintances for their support extended to me. That is why I distributed honey free of cost to celebrate 20th anniversary of my farm

 You are known world over despite coming from a small village. What do you think are the reasons behind your success?

One needs to have a willpower to succeed. I did not conduct any feasibility study before starting my business. I dedicated myself fully to my farm, making decisions based on my own assessment of whether to continue the work. The area where I keep my hives is recognized for its wetland and abundant biodiversity with medicinal plants. Honey produced here is of high quality. My dedication led me to gain global recognition, and I did not give up despite facing challenges initially. I have provided training to youth volunteers from various countries, and the global demand for organic honey has increased. This has prompted people to learn the indigenous beekeeping techniques.

How do you see beekeeping contributing to national development?

Every sector can contribute to the national economy if managed well. Beekeeping can attract significant capital, but unfortunately, the government's response to this sector has been disappointing. No research has been undertaken to measure the potential of beekeeping among diverse natural plant species. Local farmers are not getting due recognition. People from different parts of the country have invited me to learn beekeeping. But not a single local unit is taking initiative to expand beekeeping. The government's indifference to this sector has led to a scarcity of technicians to guide and innovate in beekeeping.

Forming governments, formulating laws, overseeing parliamentary functions, conducting hearings and approving annual budgets are the main responsibilities of legislatures. While these functions collectively define the essence of parliamentary duties, the main responsibility remains the formulation of laws.  The winter session of parliament, also known as the bill session, is beginning on Feb 5. The track record of the previous session is not satisfactory when it comes to formulating laws. All the stakeholders, the government, parliament secretariat and political parties, therefore, must be serious about providing sufficient business to the house in this session.

The delay in endorsing crucial bills is impeding the functioning of the federal, provincial, and local governments. Of particular concern is the prolonged delay in endorsing the Amendments to Some Laws relating to AML and Business Promotion Bill which has been gathering dust in the Federal Parliament Secretariat for two years. The failure to promptly endorse this crucial bill is increasing the risk of Nepal being listed by the Financial Action Task Force as a jurisdiction with strategic AML/CFT deficiencies. Political parties must recognize the potential repercussions it could have on Nepal's global financial standing and correspondent banking relationships, and act swiftly to address these concerns. 

Equally pressing is the need for immediate endorsement of crucial bills such as the one related to the Truth and Reconciliation Commission. Although top party leaders have held numerous discussions on the Bill, key contentious issues still remain unresolved. Despite this, the government is preparing to endorse the bill during the winter session.  The Parliament is losing the trust of the people as it fails to perform its key tasks. The operational costs of Parliament are significant, but the performance of both Parliament and parliamentarians is disheartening. It is important for parliamentarians to collaborate with the government in ensuring the timely fulfillment of their legislative responsibilities. 

To expedite the law-making process, parliamentarians can collectively urge the government to provide the necessary business and work towards a consensus on key bills. The continued sluggish pace threatens to further diminish public faith in Parliament, especially at a time when there is growing discontent with the current constitution and political systems. The failure of Parliament to enact laws in a timely manner is affecting effective functioning of the federal system, thereby raising questions about the relevance of such structures. The government, major political parties, and lawmakers need to address the issue urgently because an ineffective Parliament means there will be more attacks on the system.

A university is a center for brainstorming, exploration and processing of knowledge. Data from around the world have confirmed that quality university education plays a major role in laying the foundation for the development of economic and strategic might of countries. 

Of late, Nepal's higher education and universities have emerged as a topic for a discourse, thanks to a declining state of these institutions and a subsequent surge in the number of students heading abroad for higher education.

University education started in Nepal in 1959 with the establishment of the Tribhuvan University (TU). Sixty-five years later, we continue to lag behind in almost all sectors because of our inability to utilize our universities in the interest of the country, an inability which has a role in rendering the state dysfunctional. This article mainly seeks to explore the reasons behind a sorry state of affairs in our universities by looking into the advent of university education in brief.  

The legacy

Modern university education dates back to the 11th century. At the end of the 11th century, the University of Bologna ‘Studium’ took shape in Italy, followed by the University of Paris in France (1150) and a number of universities across European countries. These centers of higher learning began focusing on scientific research, heralding a new dawn in the development of science and technology and strengthening as well as expanding the state. Through the technological prowess that flowed through these universities that propagated university education globally, Europe established its empires around the world over the centuries. 

Western varsity in Asia 

The Western model university came into being in Asia with the establishment of the University of Calcutta in 1857 under British rule. In its early days, the varsity showed a lot of promise, producing world-renowned scientists and economists such as CV Raman, Chandrasekhar, Ramakrishnan, Hargobind Khorana and Amartya Sen. But the varsity failed to pave the way for diversified research, a predicament no different from that of the TU.

However, Japan, another country in Asia, started its educational cooperation with Europe in 1877 with the establishment of the Tokyo University. Japan has not only become an economic superpower in a short period of time on the strength of new science and technological development, but is also competing with the West in the field of creative intelligence and producing dozens of Nobel Prize winners. 

This university has established itself as an institute capable of solving problems of a fast-changing world. Interestingly, Nepal was under the rule of Jung Bahadur at the time of establishment of universities in Calcutta and Tokyo. The Rana ruler had a cordial relationship with the British Empire, but did not bother to use this leverage for introducing university education in Nepal. Thanks to this myopia, university education got delayed in Nepal by about a century. 

A decisive push for reforms

A review of world history shows a number of countries shifting focus on university reforms after overcoming internal/external conflict and achieving a level of national prosperity. 

In the case of Nepal, even decades after the establishment of its first university and several other universities, no meaningful effort has been made to transform them into centers of knowledge and innovation. Political interference, measly investments from the state, weak standards for faculty selection and incentives are mainly to blame for this. 

Unchecked political interference has been taking a toll on university education for decades and institutionalizing mismanagement. Here, professors accused of serious academic charges like intellectual theft get appointed as vice-chancellors, thanks to their political clout and a chauvinist professor gets beaten by chauvinist students on the university premises! It’s obvious that those who landed leadership roles through political connections do not count. Our universities need to undergo reforms for which they need a non-political academic leadership with a credible ground action plan. The state should immediately take concrete steps toward this end by keeping politics away from universities.