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The monsoon winds continue to affect the weather condition across the country at present.

According to the Department of Hydrology and Meteorology, the low-pressure line of the monsoon is towards the south of its average location in the west and around average location in the east.

At present, it is partly to generally cloudy throughout the country. Light rain is taking place at one or two places in Gandaki and Bagmati Provinces. The weather will be partly to generally cloudy throughout the country today.

Light to moderate rain with thunder and lightning is likely to occur at some places of the country. Heavy rainfall is also likely to occur at one or two places of Koshi, Gandaki, Lumbini and Karnali Provinces. Similarly, the weather will be partly to generally cloudy in the hilly region and partly cloudy in the rest of the country tonight.

Light to moderate rain with thunder and lightning is likely to occur at a few places of Koshi, Bagmati, Gandaki, Karnali and Sudurpaschim Provinces and at one or two places of rest of the provinces.

Light to moderate rain with thunder and lightning is likely to occur at some places of the country in the next 24 hours.

Heavy rainfall is also likely to occur at one or two places of Koshi, Gandaki, Lumbini and Karnali Provinces.

The Department has urged the authorities concerned to take necessary precautions to avoid the risk or damage of disasters like floods, landslides and soil erosion in those areas and this may partially affect daily life as well as agriculture, health, tourism, mountaineering, road and air transport in those areas.

The Government of Japan has provided a grant of Japanese Yen 454 million (approximately Rs 423 million) to Nepal to contribute to the implementation of the Project for Human Resource Development for the fiscal year 2024-25.

An agreement in this regard was formalized today with the signing and exchange of notes by both sides at the Ministry of Finance.

Dr Ram Prasad Ghimire, Secretary at the Finance Ministry, and Kikuta Yutaka, Japan's Ambassador to Nepal, signed the agreement from their respective sides.

The Japanese Human Resource Development Scholarship (JDS) Programme began in Nepal in 2015 with support from the Government of Japan and it is continuing phase-wise, the Ministry said in a press release.

The current grant will support the scholarship programme for 22 candidates: 20 for a two-year Master's Degree and two for a three-year PhD course at various universities in Japan.

To date, 127 JDS fellows including 125 master's degree holders and two doctoral degree holders have completed their studies in Japan and returned to Nepal while 35 are presently pursuing master's degrees and three PhD there.

During the signing ceremony, Secretary Dr Ghimire said that the scholarship programme will enhance the capabilities of Nepal's civil service, contributing to improving the public service delivery. As he hoped, it will also contribute to strengthening the bilateral relations between Nepal and Japan.

Ambassador Kikuta expressed his confidence that the JDS graduates will significantly impact Nepal's development and further enhance the longstanding cooperation between the two nations.

The government has expressed sincere appreciation and thanks to the Government of Japan for its continuous and generous support and commitment to the socio-economic and human resource development of Nepal.

More than 1,300 Nepali workers, who went abroad for employment through legal means, lost their lives in the last fiscal (2023-24), per government data. According to the Foreign Employment Board, 1,346 of the workers registered with the board died in 2023-24.

The highest number of deaths occurred due to various diseases and illnesses, with 321 workers falling victim to sickness.

During the reporting period, 199 workers died from heart attacks, 192 committed suicide, 157 died of natural causes and 157 lost their lives in road accidents. Additionally, 92 workers lost their lives due to other causes, and 46 died in workplace accidents.

Over the past year, 741,000 Nepalis—661,000 men and 80,000 women—went abroad for work, marking a surge in outmigration from a country that sees about 700,000 people seek foreign employment each year.

Government data indicate that around 1,000 Nepali workers die abroad each year, with four deaths occurring daily. 

A yearly surge in the number of Nepali migrant workers has led to an increase in fatalities of Nepalis abroad.

Between 2021-22 and 2023-24, 3,887 Nepali workers lost their lives, while in 2021-22, there were 1,479 deaths, followed by 1,030 deaths in 2022-23, and 1,346 in 2023-24.

Foreign employment experts attribute a high death rate among Nepali workers to a large number of unskilled laborers going abroad. In 2023-24, 145,000 unskilled workers and 532,000 workers with general skills left Nepal for foreign employment whereas only 60,000 semi-skilled and 732 highly-skilled workers went abroad.

Despite these fatalities, only the families of workers who went abroad with a valid work permit are eligible for compensation. If a worker dies within the period of work permit, the board provides compensation of Rs 700,000 to the bereaved family.

The board informed that it distributed Rs 699.9m as compensation to the families of workers who lost their lives abroad in the last fiscal.

Meena Kumari Thakali, a resident of Thini village of Mustang, finds immense joy in welcoming foreign tourists to her small cottage made of mud and dry grass locally known as ‘Ghenka’. In recent years, the number of foreign visitors to her cottage has increased, encouraging her to grow the crops and vegetables needed for her kitchen.

Her daily routine begins with a visit to her farm where she grows a wide variety of food grains and fruits. “Most tourists prefer to enjoy indigenous foods while staying with us in this small cottage,” she said. Stating that the influx of foreign tourists has already begun in her village, Meena Kumari said  she, like other villagers, is excited to welcome tourists to their village.

Meena Kumari belongs to the Thakali community which is known for its culinary skills. Originally from the highlands of Mustang, many Thakali people have migrated to Pokhara and other cities of the country where they have expanded their rich culinary heritage.

“We can’t refuse when we get an opportunity to host guests,” said Battimaya Thakali, 60, from the same village. She explained how the arrival of foreigners in Thini Village has helped in the professional development of local women. “These days, almost all the women in this village are united in homestay organizations, whereas they were limited to household chores three years ago,” Battiamaya, who chairs the local women’s group, said.

Not only in Thini, women in many Mustang villages are taking farm works and tourism business simultaneously. “We need local ingredients in our kitchen to serve tourists,” said Sarita Thakali from neighboring Marpha village.

Local women shared that they have been showcasing their kitchen skills to foreign tourists for more than half decades now. They have turned their household activities into a business without requiring extra investment, relying instead on their labor and dedication in farms to produce ingredients for their kitchen.

Thakali people are known for their set meal which includes rice, lentil soup made of local beans, local vegetables, meat and pickles. Apples, apricots, buckwheat, maize, wheat, potatoes, beans, and greens are the major fruits and crops the women of Mustang cultivate.

The women of Thini village have recently built a public homestay building where they host guests. The building, constructed at a cost of Rs 30m with support from the local government, is expected to help promote their cultural heritage.

Kamala Lalchan, founder chair of the Women’s Cooperative of Mustang, said that the cooperative has more than a thousand women farmers and entrepreneurs as members and shareholders. “More than half of them run homestays and supply food, vegetables and other ingredients to local hotels and restaurants catering to tourists visiting Muktinath Temple,” she added.