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Home Minister Ramesh Lekhak has said that it should be made clear by a law whether to provide the state facilities to former VIPs.

In his response to the topics raised by lawmakers during a meeting of the House of Representatives (HoR) today, the Home Minister apprised that there is no law granting the facilities to the former VIPs and the government has been proceeding with the formulation of laws towards that end following the advice from the court, Office of the Auditor General and the parliamentary committees.

"It will cause no additional burden on the State coffer to grant such facilities."

He argued that the government is aware of the need to avoid unnecessary economic burden on the State and recognize the citizens' sentiments while proposing the draft bill regarding such facilities. "The government believes that the taxes paid by the citizens should be spent lawfully."

In his replies to queries over the Pathibhara cable car construction project, he said the government has expected the roles with responsibilities from all quarters to resolve the disputes through dialogue peacefully. "The government is ready to address social, religious, and cultural concerns of agitating sides and the locals.  Presently, the area has been guarded by a security force with high patience."

According to the Minister, disaster management, preparedness for potential incidents of fire,

Fair investigation into the cases of crimes reported from various parts of the country, reduction of road accidents, better treatment for the injury cases, and compensation to the affected are the priorities of the Ministry.

The control of cross-border crime between Nepal and India, the safety of Nepali and Indian citizens along the border areas, and smooth and decent movement of the citizens are the agenda of a coordination meeting held frequently among the security forces of the two countries.

 "We have implemented measures accordingly.  The border surveillance by security forces has been intensified. The government is planning to add seven more border outposts this year. Measures against smuggling have been intensified. A zero tolerance has been adopted against smuggling."

The Home Minister further said no inhumane treatment and torture at the Drug Addiction Treatment and Rehabilitation Centre is accepted.

He also pointed out the need to increase the security workforce in Dailekh, adding that the issues of citizens in Siraha, Rautahat, and other districts are under investigation.

"The government has initiated actions to prevent any untoward incidents in the Child Correction Home in a sustainable way."  The government is much committed to ensuring peace and security by the maximum utilization of available resources, according to the Minister.

Bijay Paudel of Nepali origin has become a candidate for the Canadian Federal Parliament.

He has become the official candidate of the Conservative Party for federal lawmaker from the Humber River–Black Creek region of the Ontario Province, Canada.

“This election is historic for Canadians of Nepali-origin,” he said.

If he wins the parliamentary election, he will be the first Canadian of Nepali origin to be elected to Canada's Federal Parliament. Paudel had registered nomination for the election in 2021 also.

Paudel, a permanent resident of Bardiya, has been active in mainstream politics in Canada for a long time.

Currently, he has been working as the President of the Federation of Nepalese Chambers of Commerce and Industry in Canada.

Besides playing an important role in naming Sagarmatha Park in the Nepali community, he has also been equally active in other social work.

The Canadian provincial government had also honored him with the Responsible Citizen Award for his significant contributions during the COVID-19 pandemic.

Last year, Paudel was appointed as a special assistant to MP Kyle Seeback to look into Nepal affairs from the Canadian House of Commons.

In addition to that, he was appointed as a community ambassador last year by the Peel Regional Police.

Paudel, who was always with the Nepali community during both the good and hard times, is confident that he would get support and backing from the Canadian Nepalis during the election.

There is a provision to have 343 elected members from various provinces in the House of Commons of Canada.

According to the Constitution of Canada, the House of Commons of Canada formulates and endorses the federal law.

In this election, Paudel’s candidacy has the support of three Canadian parliamentarians as well as the Nepali and other Canadian communities.

President Donald Trump said he would speak to Russian President Vladimir Putin on Tuesday as he pushes to end the war in Ukraine, Associated Press reported. 

The U.S. leader disclosed the upcoming conversation to reporters while flying from Florida to Washington on Air Force One on Sunday evening.

“We will see if we have something to announce maybe by Tuesday. I will be speaking to President Putin on Tuesday,” Trump said. “A lot of work’s been done over the weekend. We want to see if we can bring that war to an end.”

Any such conversation could be a pivot point in the conflict and an opportunity for Trump to continue reorienting American foreign policy. European allies are wary of Trump’s affinity for Putin and his hardline stance toward Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy, who faced sharp criticism when he visited the Oval Office a little more than two weeks ago.

Although Russia failed in its initial goal to topple Ukraine with its invasion three years ago, it still controls large swaths of the country.

Trump said land and power plants are part of the conversation around bringing the war to a close, according to the Associated Press. 

“We will be talking about land. We will be talking about power plants,” he said.

Trump described it as “dividing up certain assets.”

Trump special envoy Steve Witkoff recently visited Moscow to advance negotiations, and he said earlier Sunday that a call between Trump and Putin could come soon.

During his conversation with reporters on Air Force One, Trump said he was pushing forward with his plans for tariffs on April 2 despite recent disruption in the stock market and nervousness about the economic impact.

 “April 2 is a liberating day for our country,” he said. “We’re getting back some of the wealth that very, very foolish presidents gave away because they had no clue what they were doing.”

Trump has occasionally changed course on some tariff plans, such as with Mexico, but he said he had no intention to do so when it comes to reciprocal tariffs, Associated Press reported. 

 “They charge us and we charge them,” he said. “Then in addition to that, on autos, on steel, on aluminum, we’re going to have some additional tariffs.”

The 46th Central Secretariat meeting of the CPN-UML is taking place today.

According to UML's Publicity Department chief Rajendra Gautam, the meeting will be held to discuss the evolving political development and internal life of the party.

The meeting will be held at the UML central office in Chyasal, Lalitpur at 1 pm. 

Party chair KP Sharma Oli will preside over the meeting.