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The Kathmandu Metropolitan City (KMC) is going to conduct training on digital literacy to enable its residents to perform tasks related to digital transactions in a safe manner.

KMC's spokesperson, Nabin Manandhar, said that a training program on digital literacy is being launched to protect the denizens against internet-related insecurities.

According to him, it has been decided to conduct this training to promote the use of the internet technology for useful work and to avoid technology-related risks.

"With the growing use of information technology, every individual should know about the proper use of the internet and basic digital security. While the use of technology makes life easier, if not used cautiously, the risks increase equally," spokesperson Manandhar said.

He stated that training is needed to increase easy access to services through the proper use of technology and to protect city residents from potential digital risks.

According to him, to effectively implement e-governance that the government is emphasizing on, citizens must be able to use technology with confidence.

"People should be made aware of cyber security. This responsibility is fulfilled through this type of training," spokesperson Manandhar said, adding that a digital Nepal is needed to make Nepal's governance transparent.

Anirudra Nepal, head of the KMC's Information Technology Department, said that training will begin in the first phase in wards 17, 18, 19 and 29 and will gradually be expanded to other wards.

One should know how to set strong passwords for personal privacy and cyber security, use OTP (one-time password), to identify viruses, antivirus, suspicious links, and ways to avoid them. According to the KMC officials, the training is being organized to make metropolitan residents understand all these topics.

The price of gold has increased by Rs 2, 200 per tola in the domestic market on Thursday. 

According to the Federation of Nepal Gold and Silver Dealers’ Association, the precious yellow metal is being traded at Rs 250, 600 per tola today. It was traded at Rs 248, 400 per tola on Thursday.

Similarly, the price of silver has increased by Rs 65 and is being traded at Rs 3, 345 per tola today.

Insurance claim payouts by non-life insurance companies increased by 34.19 percent in the first four months of the current fiscal year. 

According to Nepal Insurance Authority (NIA), 14 non-life insurance companies paid out Rs 5.69bn in claims in the review period. In the same period of the previous fiscal year, payouts by non-life insurances totaled Rs 4.24bn.

The surge in claim payouts is largely attributed to the extensive damage to hotels, department stores and motor vehicles due to arson and vandalism across the country during the GenZ protests on Sept 8 and 9. Government and private offices, homes of political leaders, hotels and businesses allegedly linked to political figures, and numerous vehicles were damaged or set on fire across the country. Although government buildings and motor vehicles were not insured, most of the private properties were insured. This resulted in significant claim payouts by the companies.

Claims worth nearly Rs 24bn were filed with non-life insurance companies for damages during the GenZ protests, according to NIA - the insurance sector regulator. 

 Similarly, the floods and landslides triggered by continuous heavy rainfall in September and October also caused severe destruction which also resulted in higher claim payouts in the review period.

Data provided by the NIA shows Sagarmatha Lumbini Insurance (SALICO) recorded the highest payout of Rs 1.08bn in the four-month period, followed by Shikhar Insurance and NLG Insurance with total payouts of Rs 680.2m and Rs 642.3m, respectively.

Two other insurers, Siddhartha Premier Insurance and Neco Insurance, made claim payouts in excess of Rs 500m. Data shows Siddhartha Premier and Neco made payouts of Rs 546m and Rs 529.9m, respectively, in the review period. 

Ten insurers saw their claim payouts jump in the first four months of 2025/26, compared to the same period of the previous fiscal year. SALICO saw its payouts jump by a whopping 140.79 percent, followed by Sanima GIC which saw its payouts go up by 124.66 percent. Other life-insurers, which made higher payouts in the review period compared to last year include, NLG (81.07 percent), 

Neco (65.10 percent), Nepal Insurance (36.59 percent), Himalayan Everest (35.06 percent), Siddhartha Premier (29.69 percent), Oriental (23.83 percent), Prabhu (13.58 percent) and Shikhar (5.56 percent).

Four companies saw their payouts decline in the first four months of 2025/26. They include United Ajod (-3.61 percent), Rastriya Beema Company (-5.81 percent), National Insurance (-8.45 percent) and IGI Prudential (-28.20 percent).

More than 80 political parties have registered with the Election Commission (EC), apparently with the intent of contesting the elections for the House of Representatives slated for March 5 next year. The EC has added 8,37,094 new voters to its rolls for the polls, taking the total number of voters to 19,005,324, a surge of about five percent. The minimum eligible age for voting is 18, meaning that one can vote if s/he has a) attained the age of 18 by March 4 and b) got a voter’s ID card from the EC. The EC’s final tally on Dec 6 will show the exact number of voters for the polls.

More than a surge in the number of voters, it shows a desire, especially of the youths, to take part in a democratic process that will select a political leadership that will steer the country, most probably for another five years.

While parties across the political spectrum appear “on the go” for the elections, the major onus is on the government of the day to create a conducive environment for the same. After the youths-led protests of Sept 8-9, leaders of  some parties, especially the top leaders, may not have been feeling that safe and secure. The government leadership must reach out to them, address their security concerns and win their confidence. Moreover, some incidents have shown a tendency on the part of our parties to not only boycott each other, but also to prevent each other from organizing political programs and rallies in each other’s ‘turf’. This is not a good sign for democracy; the government should discourage such a tendency. 

At the same time, the administration must make all necessary arrangements to conduct the polls in a free, fair and transparent manner. Many jailbirds, who escaped from their cells on Sept 8-9, remain at large along with lethal weapons. The government must intensify search and recovery efforts to rearrest the jailbirds and recover the looted arms. It must reestablish police offices, posts and beats destroyed during the protests, boost the morale of security forces, recruit temporary security personnel and conduct voter education/awareness programs by working on a war footing. 

In summary, the government must rally the entire nation for the polls to make sure that the Nepali people win, with a landslide.