Submit your Article

A total of 30,199 foreign tourists visited the Annapurna region in the month of March. This includes 14,668 tourists from South Asian countries and 15,531 tourists from other countries, according to the Annapurna Conservation Area Project (ACAP).

The arrival of tourists has increased with the end of the cold season and the number is expected to grow further in April, said Chief of ACAP Dr Rabin Kadaria.

In 2023, a total of 191,558 tourists from 173 countries had visited the Annapurna region, a record so far. It surpassed the highest so far of 181,000 before the CoronaVirus pandemic in 2019. The number was 129,733 in 2022.

The Annapurna base camp, Mardi Himal, Ghandruk, Tilicho Lake in Manang, Thorangla Pass, Upper Mustang, Muktinath area, Ghodepani in Myagdi on the Annapurna circuit are major attractions for tourists visiting the region.

Kaski, Lamjung, Manang, Myagdi and Mustang fall under the ACAP spread over an area of 7600 square kilometers.

Police have arrested a CPN (Maoist Center) leader Kali Bahadur Kham.

Kham, who is said to be the mastermind of the murder of Ram Hari Shrestha, a businessman close of the CPN-UML, was apprehended from Thamel, Kathmandu, a police source said.

Kham is accused of abducting and murdering Shrestha.

Also the central member of the Maoist Center, he was at large to evade the arrest.

The World Bank (WB) has said that Nepal’s economy is expected to grow by 3.3% in FY24, driven by revived tourism and a pickup in hydropower exports.

On the demand side, private consumption will drive growth, supported by a substantial increase in remittance inflows, according to the World Bank’s twice-a-year country development update.

In its latest Nepal Development Update, the WB stated that the country's economy is on a recovery path, but private investment remains low while projecting a further rebound in growth of 4.6% in FY25.

However, the forecast is subject to multiple risks, including a growth slowdown in partner countries, notably India, Gulf countries, and Malaysia which could lead to a drop in remittances and tourism. Further business environment reforms aimed at attracting more private investment will be needed to support medium-term growth.

“Strengthening the implementation of capital expenditure, boosting business confidence, and strengthening Nepal's international competitiveness are key to stimulating economic growth and reducing poverty,” said Faris Hadad-Zervos, World Bank Country Director for Maldives, Nepal, and Sri Lanka.

The Nepal Development Update is prepared in parallel with the South Asia Development Update, a twice-a-year World Bank report that examines economic developments and prospects in the South Asia region and analyzes policy challenges countries face. The April 2024 edition titled Jobs for Resilience shows growth in South Asia is again higher than any other emerging markets and developing country region in the world, projected at 6% in 2024 and 6.1% in 2025. But this strong outlook is deceptive, says the report. For most countries, growth is still below pre-pandemic levels and is reliant on public spending. At the same time, private investment growth has slowed sharply in all South Asian countries, and the region is not creating enough jobs to keep pace with its rapidly increasing working-age population.

“South Asia is failing right now to fully capitalize on its demographic dividend. This is a missed opportunity,” said Franziska Ohnsorge, World Bank Chief Economist for South Asia. “If the region employed as large a share of the working-age population as other emerging markets and developing economies, its output could be 16% higher.”

The South Asia Development Update recommends a range of policies to spur firm growth and boost employment, including increasing trade openness, improving business climates and institutions, removing financial sector restrictions, improving education, and strengthening legal protection of women’s rights. And these measures would also help lift employment growth and boost productivity, and free up space for public investments in climate adaptation.

Machines required for the first phase of exploration of petroleum products in Dailekh have arrived in Dailekh. Five small containers carrying the machines arrived here from China via Kolkata and Rupaidiya point, raising hope that they will enable the project to conduct exploration works round the clock.

Big containers headed to the district from China remain stuck due to narrow turning points along Karnali and Mid-Hill Highways even as efforts to find a passage for those containers continue. Around 150 containers have reportedly left Rupaidiha in India for Dailekh carrying the exploration tools.      

Chief District Officer Khimraj Bhusal said petroleum exploration works have been expedited. Processes are also underway to address the demands for jobs and financial support coming from project-affected households.

The project, launched after a G2G agreement between Nepal and China, is expected to open avenues for Nepal’s prosperity if it becomes successful, Dailekh Chamber of Commerce and Industry President Kul Bahadur Gurung said.  

However, chief administration officer of Bhairavi rural municipality, Bhupendra Thapa, said locals are against petroleum exploration.  

The drilling for the exploration will go up to four kilometers beneath the Earth’s surface. This process is expected to determine the quantity of petroleum products and gas deposits, making way for the next round of works, project Chief Dinesh Kumar Napit said.