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Minister for Culture, Tourism and Civil Aviation Prem Bahadur Ale has said that it is the need of the hour to preserve and protect religion and culture of the country.

All should come together to preserve religion, art and culture of their own, he said while laying the foundation stone for the construction of the Badikedar trail, a popular trail of Sudurpaschim Province amid a function here today.

"Country's ancient art, culture and religion are identity of us Nepali people. They should be preserved and protected. We can cash in on them as foreign tourists visit Nepal to observe them," he said.

He also expressed his concerns about encroachment by modernity in the country's folk culture, religion and art, thus bringing them at risk of disappearance.

The minister allocated Rs 90 million for the construction of the trail that would facilitate visit of pilgrims to Badikedar Tample, a religious tourism destination, located in the southern belt of Doti district in Sudurpaschim Province, said Dipendra Raj Siradi, executive officer of the Badikedar Area Tourism Development and Management Committee.

Under the project, resting places, steps and railings will be constructed, he said. Pilgrims from home and neighbouring India visit the temple for worshipping. One worshipping at the temple gets their wishes come true, according to a mythology.

CPN (Maoist Centre) Chairman Pushpa Kamal Dahal claimed that an environment has been created for all the Maoists to come together at one place.

Speaking at a program organized in the Capital on Sunday, the former Prime Minister claimed that the situation has been readied for all Maoists to come together at one place to protect the country’s transformation.

Saying that they have come to this stage by crossing the divisive chain of unity, he was of the opinion that the environment has been created for all the so-called former Maoists to come to one place.

Chairman Dahal further said that some elements who are against the change are trying to overturn the political change in the country.

Prime Minister Sher Bahadur Deuba snubbed the meeting of the International Relations Committee under the Federal Parliament.

The Committee summoned the Prime Minister to discuss the State Partnership Program (SPP) and his upcoming US visit.

The SPP has become a hotly debated issue lately, leaving the lawmakers of various political parties divided.

The Committee called Prime Minister Deuba after speculations that Nepal is set to join the SPP during his visit to the United States sparked uproar.

Committee President Pabitra Niraula said that the Prime Minister's Office has informed that he would be able to attend the meeting today due to his busy schedule.

The meeting of the Committee held on Friday decided to hold a discussion with the Prime Minister on SPP.

Sri Lanka could have avoided its current economic turmoil if it had gone to the International Monetary Fund (IMF) for a bailout sooner, the country's central bank governor says, BBC reported.

P Nandalal Weerasinghe told BBC Newsnight that the delay in seeking outside help was a mistake.

The country has said it needs $5bn this year in support from the international community, including the IMF.

Sri Lanka defaulted on its foreign debt for the time in its history last month.

"If we had taken the decision to go to the IMF earlier, if we started the debt resettlement process one year before, we could have managed the situation without this kind of suffering in this country," he said.

His comments came as he is attempting to restore order to Sri Lanka's economy, which is experiencing extreme fuel shortages, soaring food prices and a lack of medicines, according to BBC.

A recent survey by the United Nations World Food Programme found that around two thirds of Sri Lankan households have been forced to reduce their food intake.

Mr Weerasinghe said Sri Lanka was experiencing its worst economic crisis since independence from Britain in 1948.

A team from the IMF is due to arrive in Colombo for talks on Monday and Mr Weerasinghe will be a key participant in those meetings.

Yet there is uncertainty about whether Mr Weerasinghe, who replaced previous governor Ajith Nivard Cabraal in April, will be reappointed for a full six year term at the end of this month.

"I have expressed my desire to continue," he said.

"I don't think when I took over I had the expectation I would be serving only for two months and go back. If that was the situation, I would not [have] come in… This is not something that can be addressed within two months. It will get worse before it getting better."

A complication in the IMF negotiations is Sri Lanka's substantial borrowing from China, which Mr Weerasinghe said accounts for 15% of the country's total external debt, BBC reported.

The fund has a policy of not bailing out countries unless all its other creditors have first agreed to write down their loans.

"I'm sure China as a good friend of Sri Lanka [will] offer similar relief that will be offered by other creditors as well," said Mr Weerasinghe.

Former Sri Lanka central bank staff have written an open letter to the embattled President Gotabaya Rajapaksa urging him to keep Mr Weerasinghe in the post.

"If anyone is contemplating to remove him from his position as the Governor of the Central Bank of Sri Lanka, we see it as a highly unpatriotic move with entirely ulterior motives," they wrote.

The World Bank has warned that as many as 12 other developing countries are at risk of default over the coming year.

Analysts say states such as the Maldives, Rwanda, Ethiopia, Senegal are also all on the financial brink.

Egypt, Ghana and Pakistan are also seen as intensely vulnerable, according to BBC.