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A taskforce formed by the government to prepare a concept paper on amendment of constitution held a meeting with experts on Monday. 

The taskforce coordinated by Ashim Shah, political advisor to the Prime Minister, discussed with legal and constitutional experts at the PM's Office, Singha Durbar.

Taskforce member secretary Leeladhar Subedi made a presentation on the issues warranting amendment to constitution such as form of governance, electoral system and franchise to Nepalis living abroad.  

Other issues featured for discussion were provision of directly elected president, appointment of judges based on competition, end of corruption in judiciary, effectiveness of federalism, reform in management, role of Chairman and Vice Chairman of National Assembly, accountability of local levels, non-political local government, fair and capable judiciary, restructuring of judicial council, number of constitutional bodies and appointments there.

In the discussion, constitutional expert Purna Man Shakya suggested taking into account the foundational structure of the constitution while initiating amendment to it.

Constitutional expert Dr Bipin Adhikari viewed the system as fully parliamentary. The Prime Minister should be given authority to dissolve Parliament. 

Another constitutional expert and former lawmaker Radheshyam Adhikari underlined the need of thorough discussions before amending the constitution because it is the major document, establishing links between citizens and government.  

Senior advocate Mira Dhungana said further clarity is needed on women rights. 

Senior advocate Tikaram Bhattarai argued that the amendment taskforce itself was not recognized by constitution, so it would be better to be a federal parliament member to coordinate the taskforce. According to senior advocate Shambhu Thapa, although the issues in the discussion were relevant, these required endorsement by the Parliament. 

Political meddling should be ended in the judiciary in view of advocate Govind Sharma.     

Taskforce coordinator Shah thanked the experts and said  that the suggestions given by them would be incorporated in the amendment paper.

The government today made public 'Nepal's Current Economic Situation Report-2083', assessing the country's current overall socio-economic situation.

Finance Minister Dr Swarnim Wagle had decided to prepare the document as soon as he took over the responsibility of the Ministry of Finance after the formation of the new government. 

According to the ministry, this situation report aims to present an objective picture of the country's current economic situation and to help guide the formulation of future policies, plans and budget.

The situation report acknowledges that Nepal's economy is currently beset by many challenges but it concludes that there are ample multifaceted opportunities for transformation. 

If a stable government, good governance and an investment-friendly policy environment can be created the confidence of the private sector will be restored and domestic and foreign investment will increase. This is expected to expand the manufacturing sector, create jobs and accelerate economic activity. 

The hydropower sector has been presented as a major opportunity, which could generate stable foreign income through cheap and reliable energy production, industrialization, expansion of the service sector and electricity export. 

The position paper states that income and employment can be created in rural areas through the integrated development of mountain, culture and community-based tourism. 

International competitiveness can increase if tourism infrastructure, service quality, mobility and destination management are improved.

Similarly, the document has placed artificial intelligence, robotics, information technology services, business process outsourcing and digital entrepreneurship as major opportunities for the coming decade. 

Production, income and exports can be increased through modernization of the agricultural sector. Investment in high-value crops, animal husbandry, horticulture development and agro-processing industries are the way forward.

Similarly, industrial development, supply chain strengthening, special economic zones (SEZs), industrial clusters and trade facilitation have been mentioned as the main tools for building an export-oriented economy. The paper also points out the possibility of making Nepal a regional 'transit trade hub' by taking advantage of its geographical location.

It is necessary to increase investment in transport, energy, irrigation and digital infrastructure sectors. There is a possibility of moving forward large projects through the Public-Private Partnership (PPP) model.

Similarly, it has been emphasized that remittances should be linked to entrepreneurship, skill development and manufacturing sectors. 

A policy is necessary to utilize the experience and skills of migrant workers who have returned from foreign employment.

The paper suggests increasing financial inclusion, digital banking, and long-term investment tools in the financial sector. Income, production, and employment can be increased through sustainable use of minerals, water, land, forests, and herbs available within the country. Emphasis is placed on adopting a policy of resource utilization while maintaining biological and ecological balance.

According to the report, an average of seven percent economic growth can be achieved from the coming fiscal year. 

It is set to increase per capita income to more than USD 3000  within five to seven years and bring the size of the economy to close to one hundred billion US dollars. 

For this, 15, 000  megawatts of electricity generation capacity within five years, completing national pride projects within two years, strengthening the interconnection between agriculture, industry, and tourism, building quality tourism infrastructure, and expanding the digital economy have to be carried out.

Chinese Ambassador to Nepal Zhang Maoming met with Minister for Communications and Information Technology Dr Bikram Timilsina at the Ministry today. 

According to Minister Timilsina's secretariat, discussions were held on issues of Nepal-China relations, mutual interests and bilateral cooperation.

On the occasion, the Chinese Ambassador congratulated Minister Timilsina for the new government in Nepal and opined to further strengthen and deepen Nepal-China relations by expanding cooperation in different areas.

The Chinese Ambassador stated that an unparalleled opportunity was created in Nepal for socio-economic development after the formation of a strong government and added that China was willing to cooperate with Nepal in such a transformation.

Ambassador Zhang shared that Nepal-China cooperation could be materialized in the areas of AI and information technology.  

He expressed confidence that an environment conducive for the operation of companies being run in Nepal with Chinese investment would be created. 

During the meeting, Minister Timilsina said that Nepal has always valued its continued cooperation, mutual interests and development partnership with China.

He underscored the chances of immense potential between the two countries in the areas of infrastructure connectivity, digital infrastructure development and IT. 

He added that the government would work further to expand services in the areas of IT, cyber security, telecommunications and digital service.

Likewise, Minister Timilsina said that the government was ready to resolve any issues the Chinese companies were facing while working in Nepal.

The Nepali Congress (NC) has decided to nominate Bhishmaraj Angdembe as the party’s Parliamentary Party leader.

A meeting of the NC Work Execution Committee held at the party’s central office in Sanepa, Lalitpur, unanimously decided to nominate Angdembe for the post, endorsing a proposal presented by party President Gagan Kumar Thapa, according to the party’s General Secretary Gururaj Ghimire.

Angdembe represents the party in the House of Representatives as a member elected under the proportional representation (PR) system.

A meeting of the party’s Parliamentary Party scheduled for today is expected to formally endorse the nomination.

Earlier, a three-member committee coordinated by party Vice President Bishwa Prakash Sharma was formed after three candidates staked their claims for the parliamentary leadership. 

Angdembe’s name was recommended following deliberations by the committee, which also included the party’s two general secretaries.

The NC is set to elect its Parliamentary Party leader unanimously for the first time since 2064 BS.