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The Bagmati Province alone has a total of 1,253 people suffering from autism. Among them, 495 are in Kathmandu, 113 in Chitwan, 83 in Lalitpur, 78 in Bhaktapur and 77 in Makawanpur.

Likewise, 75 people are suffering from autism in Kavre, 70 in Dhading, 65 each in Nuwakot and Sindhuli, 54 in Sindhupalchowk, 33 in Dolakha and 17 in Rasuwa.

As per the information shared at a workshop on autism organized by the Bagmati Province Health Ministry, currently 4,886 people now are suffering from autism in Nepal.

According to the Health Ministry's expert doctor Shakar Khanal, it is estimated that around 300,000 people, including one in 100 people, have this problem based on the data of the World Health Organization. He said that four men equal to one woman have this problem.

According to him, 328 people in the mountains, 2,229 in the hills and 2,329 in the Terai have this problem according to the geographical condition.

It was informed that the problem of autism is increasing in urban areas rather than in rural areas.

As per the data provided, 1,728 people are living with the problem in villages and 3,158 people in the urban areas.

According to Surendra Bajracharya of the Autism Care Nepal Society, autism is not a disease but a problem. "Though autism is detected at the age of six months in different countries, it is found only after 18 months in Nepal", he said.

Sharing that around 0.8 percent of the population with disabilities are also having autism in Nepal, he said autism is a genetic condition and caused by genetics, environment and infection.

So far there is no treatment of the problem, he said, adding it can be improved with various types of therapy and rehabilitation measures.

On the occasion, Bagmati Province Health Secretary Deepak Tiwari said that the province government has made efforts for the first time to solve the problems seen in the issue of autism.

He said such programmes would facilitate the government's future works and collection of actual data.

Representatives from the health institutions within the province and various organizations working in the field of autism participated in the program.

Three persons died and 27 others were injured when a bus and a truck collided with each other at the three number bridge of Pathlaiya-Hetauda road section along the Tribhuvan Highway in the wee hours of Wednesday.

Two of the deceased have been identified as truck driver Purna Gurung (28) of Pipartar, Tanahun, bus driver Hari Shumsher Thapa (40) of Hetauda Sub-Metropolitan City-3. The identity of the man who was killed in the incident is yet to be established.

The bus (Ba 3-001 Kha 2587) heading towards Kathmandu from Kakadbhitta collided head-on with the truck (Na 7 Kha 7300) at around 2 am today.

Among the injured, seven are said to be in critical condition.

According to the District Police Office, Bara, Khil Raj Dulal (30) of Bhati Rural Municipality, Sunsari, Surendra Gautam (40) of Itahari Sub-Metropolitan City-4, Sunsari, his wife Samjhana Gajurel (35), daughter Soraya Gautam (12), son Sodanem Gautam (3), assistant bus driver Nagendra Upreti (35) of Jhapa are in critical condition.

They are undergoing treatment at the Purano Medical College.

Similarly, Tej Kumar Gurung (17) of Bandipur Rural Municipality-6, Tanahun, who was also injured in the incident, is receiving treatment at the Hetauda Hospital, Bara police spokesperson Dhadiram Neupane said.

The District Police Office, Chitwan has arrested two Indian nationals with 396 kg marijuana.

The arrestees have been identified as Anil Giri (45) of Baijai Thana Sambal district of Uttar Pradesh, India and Rajpal Singh (37) of Kailadevi Thana Apawati Kutawapur village.

The Nepal Police made them public on Tuesday evening.

Spokesperson of the District Police Office, DSP Bijaya Raj Pandit shared that the Indian nationals were arrested with marijuana from Anptari, Bharatpur Metropolitan City-1.

The police confiscated the banned substance while being smuggled to Narayangadh from Muglin in a truck with Indian number plate (JH 02 W 9631).

A police team headed by SP Rameshwor Karki recovered 28 packets of marijuana from the cabin of the truck.

The Supreme Court has demanded written responses from Ncell, Axiata Limited and relevant government entities—Nepal Telecommunications Authority and the Company Registrar’s Office—regarding a controversial purchase and sale of Ncell shares. A single bench of judge Prakashman Singh Raut directed Ncell, Axiata and the government entities to come up with their written responses by Jan 1 so as to decide whether or not to issue an interim order in the case. The bench issued the order after conducting a preliminary hearing on a writ from Amresh Kumar Singh, a lawmaker in the Federal Parliament.   

It may be noted that Axiata has exited Nepal after selling 80 percent shares of Ncell to Spectralite UK, a company owned by Satish Lal Acharya, a non-resident Nepali.

Subsequently, Singh moved the court demanding that the “suspicious and questionable” transaction be deemed illegal, referring to questions raised over the transaction.

The petitioner has pointed out that the transaction may have been conducted for evading taxes and for ruling out the transfer of ownership of the company with foreign investment to the government of Nepal upon completion of 25 years of its establishment (six years later), as stipulated in relevant domestic laws. 

The bench has told both the plaintiff and the defendants—Ncell, Axiata Limited, NTA and CRO—to appear before the court for discussions on Jan 1 with documents related to the transaction, to decide whether or not to issue an interim order in the case. 

Meanwhile, Prime Minister Pushpa Kamal Dahal responded to questions raised in the parliamentary State Affairs Committee about the transaction.

The government had formed a high-level panel under former auditor-general Tanka Mani Sharma to investigate the matter after holding meetings with top leaders of the ruling coalition and demands from the parliamentary Finance Committee for intervention. 

On its part, Ncell has said that the pricing and structure of the transaction was determined through a willing buyer and seller basis. As per the agreed deal structure, Axiata was set to receive a base payment, along with additional benefits in the form of profit-sharing for the next five years, extending until 2029, it said in a statement.