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Police have arrested a person with a large cache of 'Shaligram Sheela' or the ammonite stone in Mustang.

The arrestee has been identified as Kunsang Ranging Gurung (41) of Surkhang of Loghekar Damodarkunda-5, Mustang. 

The Shaligram Sheela is a fossilized stone or ammonite collected from the riverbed or banks of the Kali Gandaki, a tributary of the Gandaki River.

The Hindus consider the Shaligram as a form of their god Vishnu.

The Kali Gandaki River flows through sacred places such as Muktinath and Damodar Kunda, enhancing the spiritual significance of these 'Shaligrams'. Collection of a large amount of Shaligrams is prohibited.

The Area Police Office, Chhusang Check Post at Baragung Muktikshetra-3,  Mustang has seized 894 kg 'Shaligram Sheela' packed in 34 white sacks during a regular security check, according to the District Police Office, Mustang.

Information Officer at the District Police Office, Mustang, Police Inspector Bishal Adhikari, said that the Shaligram Sheela was confiscated from a Bolero jeep (Ga 3 Cha 8152) heading towards Jomsom from Loghekar Damodarkunda Rural Municipality-3 in Mustang. 

According to the District Police Office, Mustang, Gurung, the jeep and the Shiligram Sheela have been handed over to the Annapurna Conservation Area Project (ACAP) Office, Jomsom.

Meanwhile, ACAP Jomsom said that it has already handed over Gurung, the jeep, and Shaligram Sheela to Annapurna Conservation Area Project's Head Office in Pokhara for investigation, said Office Chief Rajesh Gupta.

The Nepal Teachers’ Federation, the umbrella body of school teachers, continued its protest in Kathmandu even on New Year’s Day demanding enactment of the School Education Act.

The Federation continued its protest demanding that the School Education Act be issued at the earliest based on the agreement reached with them.

The teachers have said that they would not return to the classrooms until their demand is addressed.

Former King Gyanendra Shah has extended best wishes for the happiness and peace to all Nepali within the country and abroad.

In a video message on the occasion of the New Year 2082 BS today, Shah stated that he was always conscious and sensitive that let there be no conflict among the Nepalis.

Likewise, the former king also expressed sadness over the human and physical losses that occurred in the course of the violence, arson, vandalism and demonstrations in Tinkune of Kathmandu some days back.

Social media companies have defied the Nepal government’s request to get registered in Nepal if they want to operate in Nepali territory. Nepal’s Ministry of Communication and Information Technology had issued a notice asking them either to get registered or face a ban in the country. However, till date, social media giants such as Meta and X have not approached the ministry.

Companies, institutions or persons who are operating or plan to operate social media platforms in Nepal were asked to get enlisted. In addition, platforms must establish a point of contact, name a resident grievance handling officer and an officer for monitoring compliance.

Till date, only Viber, TikTok and Weetok have registered with the ministry. It has been two months since we notified Meta about the registration, but we have not received any response, Minister for Communication and Information Technology Prithvi Subba Gurung said. 

Addressing a program in Rupandehi recently, the minister had said the government would ban the platforms by Chaitra-end (April 13) if they did not register with the government by then. Apart from issuing a public notice, the Ministry of Communication and Information Technology had sent separate letters to Facebook and X asking them to come with necessary documents for the registration but there was no response from them.

Facebook, Instagram and Whatsapp operate under the Meta and all three apps are very popular in Nepal. Mainly, Facebook is doing a big business in Nepal but it is not paying any taxes to Nepal, violating Nepal’s law. If they are registered in Nepal, officials say, they will be under government scrutiny.

Similarly, government officials say, if they establish an office or contact person in Kathmandu, it will be helpful to fight misinformation and disinformation that is happening through these platforms. Last year, the government banned TikTok for one year which ultimately forced the social media giant to register with Nepal authority and work under Nepal’s rule. 

The directive issued by the government makes a distinction on social network platforms based on the number of users, classifying those with fewer than 100,000 users as “small” platforms and those with more than 100,000 users as “large” platforms. This classification has significant implications, particularly for the larger platforms. Specifically, large-scale social network platforms are mandated to establish a residential “point of contact” and officials inspect compliance of self-regulation.