Submit your Article

The weather today will remain partly cloudy in Koshi, Madhes, Bagmati and Gandaki Provinces and mainly fair in the rest of the country.

The Meteorological Analysis by the Meteorological Forecasting Division says at present there is no significant weather system affecting the country.

Tonight, the weather will remain partly cloudy in hilly and mountainous regions of Koshi Province and mainly fair in the rest of the country, adds the Division in its 8 am bulletin today. 

The 61stSession of the Programing Committee of the South Asian Association for Regional Cooperation (SAARC) commenced on Wednesday. 

The meeting, being held on a virtual platform, brought together  senior officials from the member states , heads of SAARC specialized bodies and SAARC Regional Centers, as well as senior officials from the Secretariat.

The SAARC Programing Committee meeting is being held under the Chairmanship of Nepal and is attended by the National Focal Points of the SAARC member states, comprising of Joint Secretary/ Director General of the Ministries of Foreign/External Affairs of Bangladesh, Bhutan, India, Maldives, Nepal, Pakistan and Sri Lanka, according to a press statement issued by the SAARC Secretariat.

The Session was formally opened by the Joint Secretary, Ministry of Foreign Affairs of Nepal and the Chairperson of the SAARC Programing Committee, Kiran Shakya. In his opening remarks, the Joint Secretary stated that SAARC, as the premier regional organization of our region, continues to serve as an essential platform for dialogue, collaboration and collective action among our member states. 

He added that this gathering reminds us that SAARC remains a vital regional mechanism for addressing our shared challenges and harnessing the vast opportunities before us and to stay relevant and effective, SAARC must continue evolving and strengthening its institutions and ensuring that its activities yield tangible benefits for the peoples of South Asia. 

On the occasion, Ambassador Md. Golam Sarwar, the Secretary General of SAARC, thanked the member states for their steadfast support. 

He stated that being positioned at the forefront of the role of the Programming Committee, as an important Charter Body of SAARC, cannot be overstated. 

He added that SAARC was founded on the belief that through cooperation and shared purpose, the nations of South Asia can achieve more collectively than individually. 

He also mentioned that SAARC will be commemorating the 40thAnniversary of the adoption of its Charter in the coming days, and added that while it is a matter of profound joy and pride, it is also a time to reflect on the journey of SAARC, the achievements made, the challenges faced and the future it looks at. 

During the Session, the Committee will be reviewing and finalizing the budgets and Calendars of Activities of the Specialized Bodies and Regional Centres for 2026.

The development of New Butwal Substation and 18-km Transmission Line was initiated today at Sunawal Municipality-13 amidst a function organized in the presence of Finance Minister Rameshore Prasad Khanal and the US Ambassador to Nepal Dean R. Thompson. 

Minister Khanal shared that construction of this substation and transmission line would directly contribute to the sustainable economic development.

He said, "This project reflects the government's commitment to expansion of access to clean energy and its promotion, to regional energy trade and to the national goal for achieving sustainable economic growth. We will transform the agreement for our national interests through the cooperation of MCC and MCA Nepal."

Likewise, the US Ambassador Thompson said the project has come to this stage due to untiring efforts of the past two years.

"This shall contribute to Nepal's economic growth along with the trade," he viewed.  

The transmission line and substation is expected to ensure uninterrupted power supply in the households and businesses and would create more employment opportunities in the country, the US Ambassador added. 

Likewise, Chief of District Coordination Committee Bhagawati Prasad Yadav suggested that this project should be advanced with partnership of all including by taking the local community members.

The project being developed under the MCC Nepal Compact is expected to establish vital energy trade relations between Nepal and India along with empowering energy connectivity in Nepal.

The transmission line would connect the 400 KV New Butwal Substation upto Nepal-India bordering point. The project is estimated to cost USD 50 million. 

Over 300 children are found suffering from autism in Jhapa district alone. 

A total of 381 persons are found living with autism, out of which, over 300 are children.

Coordinator of an organization, Karuna Foundation, Nischal Ghimire, categorized the sufferers as 254 male children, 28 female children and 45 adult ones. 

The Foundation had conducted a survey and identified such a huge number in 15 local levels across the district. The organization had identified the autism patients with the support from the Ministry of Social Development in Koshi Province. Those identified with this health problem have been mainstreamed to health and education.

Similarly, there are 13,863 persons living with various sorts of disabilities in the district. The provincial ministry has been conducting a disability prevention and rehabilitation programme for five years. The programme is run also in Ilam, Morang, Sunsari, Khotang, Bhojpur, Panchthar and Sankhuwasabha districts.   

However, the disability rehabilitation program has been running in Jhapa, Taplejung and Tehrathum districts since last year, according to coordinator Ghimire. 

Nearly 100 persons suffering from vocal impairment are managed education at Mahendra Ratna Secondary School of Garamani, Birtamod and at another school of Damak. The concerned local levels have been providing therapies for free of cost to the autism sufferers.