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Deputy Prime Minister and Minister for Physical Infrastructure and Transport Raghubhir Mahaseth inaugurated the charging station established in the premises of Sajha Yatayat in Pulchowk, Lalitpur.

Speaking at the inauguration ceremony, Minister Mahaseth said that the government has trusted the Sajha Yatayat in the expansion of public transport, according to HimalKhabar. 

He expressed his hope that the service of Sajha will be more effective in the future.

Speaking at the same program, Minister for Land Management, Cooperatives and Poverty Alleviation Balram Adhikari said that the Sajha Yatayat has been established as an organization which has won the trust of people since the past.

He also hoped that Sajha’s electric journey would be sustainable and long-term.

On the occasion, Sajha Yatayat Chairman Kanakmani Dixit said that forty electric buses and a charging station were brought into operation with Rs 3 billion provided by the government in the first phase as per the policy to spend the amount in three phases.

He also informed that there are 24 charging mechanisms consuming 1.2 megawatt electricity in the charging station installed in the premises of Sajha Yatayat.

Similarly, saying there is a lack of space for the buses to be brought in the future, Dixit said that they are coordinating with 14 municipalities of the Kathmandu Valley to expand charging stations.

He said that the country will witness significant changes if the public vehicles are transformed into electric. Chairman Dixit further added that the public vehicles will not be expanded in Nepal without participation of the private sector.

He went on to say that the Sajha has started a process to learn technology by converting diesel buses into electric in collaboration with Solution Plan.

Meanwhile, he announced to give two buses of Sajha to the Pokhara International Airport.

Currently, the Sajha has been operating 111 buses including 71 diesel buses with 50-passenger capacity and 40 electric buses.

Dixit added that the Sajha has been planning to bring a 12-meter-long bus in the near future and to expand the service between Kathmandu and provinces under ‘provincial service’ like in the past.

Also speaking at the program, Lalitpur Metropolitan City Mayor Chiribabu Maharjan said that Lalitpur has made a huge investment in Sajha Yatayat after Kathmandu Metropolitan City. He said that the Metropolitan City has a plan to expand the bus services soon in the inner roads.

Likewise, Nepal Electricity Authority Managing Director Kulman Ghising said that the electric vehicles have replaced fossil fuel consumption of around Rs 20 million per day.

“The operation cost will be reduced from 10 to 15 percent if the public vehicles are converted to electric,” Ghising said.

He said that around Rs 5 billion will be saved if the public vehicles are transformed into electric.

The UN Secretary General, António Guterres, has shown willingness to strengthen cooperation with SAARC.

The UN Secretary General expressed the desire of the UN to strengthen cooperation with SAARC, which represents the 'Large Chunk of Global Population'. He expressed it during a courtesy call  Secretary General of SAARC, Golam Sarwar, had paid to him at UN Headquarters in New York on April 8.

In his opening remarks, Ambassador Sarwar appreciated UN Secretary General for UN’s steadfast commitment and support to SAARC, which is an Observer Organization of the UN since 2004, according to SAARC secretariat, Kathmandu.

The visiting Secretary General of SAARC had extensive discussions on further strengthening of relations between SAARC and UN in multiple areas of mutual interest especially climate change, food security and renewable energy collaborations.

While highlighting that SAARC has signed Memorandums of Understating (MoUs) with UN agencies including UNDP, FAO, UNEP, UNISDR, UNESCAP, UNTAD, UNICEF, UNESCO, WHO, UNAIDS, UNFPA and UNWOMEN, Ambassador Sarwar further stated that several of these MoUs need to be updated taking into account the present context in order to augment existing ties between two parties.

Given the potential of reinforcing project-based collaboration between both organizations, Ambassador Sarwar proposed a joint meeting of the SAARC secretariat and UN agencies in Kathmandu at the SAARC secretariat, in the near future as a brainstorming session to identify forthcoming areas for further collaboration.

UN Secretary General Guterres welcomed the proposal and emphasized on the elevation of the cooperation between SAARC and the UN. He also instantly instructed his office to connect the SAARC secretariat with relevant officials of the UN Headquarters for the sake of effective Sectoral Cooperation.

In a bid to boost effectiveness and sustainability of the secretariat, Ambassador Sarwar explored the avenues for capacity building opportunities for the officials of the SAARC secretariat.

Moreover, UN Secretary General Guterres assured continued UN support and assistance toward SAARC and both dignitaries during the meeting agreed to work closely to further enhance the existing ties between SAARC and UN in the coming years, reads a press statement. 

Nepali lyricist Lokraj Adhikari has been nominated for the prestigious 6th ISSA Awards.

The awards, organized by the International Singer and Songwriters Association (ISSA), will be presented during a ceremony to be held in Atlanta, US, on August 24.

Adhikari has appealed for votes from all Nepali music lovers. Likewise, the Nepal Lyricist Association and Nepal Music Industries Association have also urged everyone to vote for Adhikari.

Electronic voting began on April 2. According to the association, one needs to visit the webpage www.issasongwriters.com, click on the '2024 Vote' menu, select the option to vote for international competitors, go to the 'International Male Songwriter of the Year' category, and place a tick mark next to the name to cast a vote. Votes can be cast from computers, laptops, tablets, or mobile phones.

The organizers published the list of nominees in various 46 categories last Monday. Adhikari is the only Nepali nominated in the 'Male Songwriter' category. Along with Adhikari, there are 68 nominees from various countries such as the Netherlands, Greece, Ghana, Ireland, Iceland, Russian Federation, Denmark, Sweden, Malawi, Canada, Australia, UK, Brazil, Italy, South Africa, Philippines, Uganda, Israel, Japan, and Germany in this category.

Last year, Indian singers SP Balasubrahmanyam and SJ Jananiy won the Bronze Award in the Duet category from Asia. In previous editions, there had been no participation from any Asian country.

Adhikari has said that he considers this nomination as the representation of the entire Nepali-speaking songwriting community on the international stage. The organizers have stated that the 68 nominees will be shortlisted to 20 on May 2.

According to Adhikari, all nominees have been invited by the organizers to participate in the red carpet event.

Adhikari has also urged everyone from home and abroad to vote and help Nepal make it to the top 20.

Songwriter Adhikari's songs like 'Timle Parai Thanepachi', 'Rupai Mohani', 'Baja Bajaudai', 'Marchu Baru Chhatpatima', 'Hepni Malai', 'Bhannuhunthyo Ba Le', 'O O Mero Paran', 'Feri Ek Huna', 'Ghankaideu Madalu', and 'Rupauli Rani' are popular among audiences.

The government decided to establish Special Economic Zones (SEZs) in the early 2000s with the objectives of increasing production, promoting exports, creating employment, attracting domestic and foreign investment, and achieving economic prosperity.

However, even after 20 years, neither have SEZs seen sufficient industries, nor has employment been generated as expected. So much so, the work of establishing SEZs in Biratnagar, Dhangadhi, Panchkhal and Gorkha has not gained momentum. Although some industries have opened in Simara and Bhairahawa SEZs, the results are not as expected.

Industrialists and businesspeople complain that the government built SEZs but did not create a conducive environment for establishing industries and factories. High rental fees, lack of favorable supply-related policies, bank guarantee requirements, and cumbersome administrative mechanisms make it difficult to set up industries in SEZs, they added.

The government is preparing to organize the Nepal Investment Summit on 28, 29 April 2024, with the objective of attracting domestic and foreign investments.

Although 49 industries have been given permission in the Bhairahawa SEZ, only nine are currently in operation. These industries employ around 500 people.

The government has invested Rs 13.68bn in Bhairahawa and Simara SEZs. If these two SEZs operate to their full capacity, they alone can generate 34,374 jobs. But due to a lack of private sector investments in SEZs, production and employment opportunities have been lost.

Tulsi Ram Marasini, acting executive director of the Special Economic Zone Authority (SEZA), said although the government has announced plans to establish SEZs in all seven provinces, work has not progressed due to difficulty in raising investment.

Bhairahawa SEZ had generated interest from the private sector initially. As many as 25 companies have received permission to set up their plants in the Bhairahawa SEZ. However, only seven are currently operational. They include Shakti Minerals, V-star Global, Tirupati Metal, Brilliant Lighting Industries, Panchakanya SS, S Plastic Production and Jaya Buddha Metal Craft. Each of these industries employs around 100 people.

According to SEZA officials, some industries have stopped production citing problems in power supply among other issues. Fifteen companies had applied at SEZA to set up industries in Bhairahawa SEZ. However, they have not opened industries even though they received permission four months ago. Now, the SEZA is preparing to terminate their contracts.

Sagar Silwal, the senior assistant spokesperson for SEZA, said most of the companies have not been able to operate industries due to a provision that requires industrial enterprises in SEZs to export at least 60 percent of their total productions. “Companies have complained to us that they are not being able to operate industries due to the mandatory export requirement and high rental fee,” he said, adding: “The government is preparing to show some flexibility.”

Likewise, only two industries out of 11, which have received permission, are currently in operation in the Simara SEZ. Nine more industries are at different stages of receiving approval.

Pashupati Ceramics and Lalita Kumari Srivastav Company are the two companies currently in operation in the Simara SEZ. These companies employ some 250 people.

Although the Panchkhal SEZ has been under construction in Kavre for the past five years, work progress has not been satisfactory. Since the SEZ lies 70 km south of the Nepal-China border in Kodari, it is expected to attract companies targeting the Chinese market.

The government has acquired 1,000 ropani of land for the Panchkhal SEZ. Officials say construction work has been affected due to a lack of approval for forest clearance.

Works on the other four SEZs are in the preliminary phase. Engineering studies have been completed at the SEZ planned in Burju Rural Municipality of Sunsari district, while feasibility studies have been completed at the SEZ in Palungtar of Gorkha. Likewise, detailed engineering studies have been completed for the SEZs planned in Kanak Sundari Rural Municipality of Jumla and Dhangadhi of Kailali.

Meanwhile, the government is reducing the mandatory export requirement for industries in SEZ to 30 percent of the existing 60 percent. Although the provision was introduced through the budget for the fiscal year 2023/24, it has not come into implementation yet. “We are amending legal provisions to reduce the mandatory export requirement to 30 percent. The amendment bill is likely to be approved before the Investment Summit,” Silwal said.

SEZA charges a rental fee of Rs 20 per square meter on industries in SEZ. The authority has acknowledged that this is the highest rental fee in the entire South Asia.